Warriors: Everlasting Miracles Turn 2: The Key To The Clans
by Geasswolf
Summary: After the battle with the Dark Forest, the Clans are greeted by three new cats, the trio prophesied to be the key to the Clans' survival and peace. However, the three have arrived during a time of peace in the forest, but does their arrival mean that evil is just beyond the horizon?
1. Prologue

Warriors: Everlasting Miracles Turn 2: The Key to the Clans

Prologue

 _It was a beautiful night above_ Destiny Islands, the starlight radiantly bouncing off of the sea. In front of the water on one of the native trees of the island, the Paopu Tree, sat three friends: Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"The night sky always looks amazing, don't you think?" Kairi stated to her other two friends.

"Yeah. I'd hate to see it without you two though." Sora answered.

"I mean, we haven't heard any news about other worlds in danger, but you never know. We can be called to action at any time." Riku responded.

"You're right, but let's just enjoy this for now okay?" Sora told them. The other two agreed, and they sat there and talked about their greatest adventures. Sora had the most to talk about, especially since he was the one who traveled to different worlds. "It's just felt weird. Getting your clothes changed or form changed to fit into that certain world."

"I can imagine, but I kinda wish I could do the same as well. I mean, yeah I've been in different worlds, but it's sorta been against my free will." Kairi said. "Wait, you mentioned getting your form changed. Does that hurt?"

"Not really. It feels perfectly normal. I think my most memorable form change had to be in the Pridelands when I was changed into a lion cub."

"Aw, that's sounds adorable!" Kairi commented, causing him to blush.

"Only a cub? Can't say I'm surprised." Riku joked, Sora pushing him a bit afterward.

"It was a bit weird walking on all fours at first, but once I got used to it I…"

"Sora?" Kairi looked over at him and saw that he was gazing at the ocean. "Is something wrong?"

"Look? Do you see those spots on the sea that look like the light is coming from below?" Sora asked the two.

"Yeah I see it. Don't tell me you're gonna go check it out?" Riku said, but Sora was already heading towards the coast.

"Sora, be careful! What if it's too deep over there?" Kairi said in a worried tone.

"If you're worried, why don't we all check it out?" Sora added. Kairi and Riku nodded at each other and started following Sora. They were walking up to the light, not afraid to mess up their clothes. When they got close to it, Sora peered into the ocean.

"It's brighter, but I don't really see what's causing it." Sora stated.

"This was a waste of time. I'm going back to shore." Riku said, turning around and heading back to the sand. Suddenly, the light started getting brighter by the second. Riku turned around and shielded his eyes from the sudden light that soon enveloped the three. They all suddenly fell, and plunged into the ocean, the sudden sound of shattering glass being heard before they fell towards the depths. They were all still conscious, but had no vision of the other when they looked around. They each saw that they were approaching a circular platform and could see that it was entirely a stained glass design, almost similar to the ones Sora saw when he first gained the ability to use the Keyblade. Each of their platforms was different: Sora's depicted a forest and three cats, one brown, silver, and auburn. Riku's was a symbol of three cats, much like Sora's but they were separated by different lines, and Kairi's was one that had four different symbols lying inside of a cat-shaped box.

"What is this?" The three wondered. _This was just like the time I received the Keyblade._ Sora thought as he just walked around. _But what could these pictures mean?_ That was what all three of them thought as they heard a mysterious voice. _Death, sadness, hopelessness; all happen when someone loses a heart. To stop a calamity like this from happening, you and your friends were chosen to save Clans._

"Us three, save the clans?" Kairi said in confusion. _Three saviors shall rise and bring justice. They are the key to the Clans' survival and peace._ With that, the floor beneath the three of them began to shatter and they all screamed as the plunged into the unknown.


	2. Chapter 1: Night Vigil

Chapter 1: Night Vigil

 _"_ _Alright Lelouch, you remember_ what you have to do for the night vigil, right?" ThunderClan's leader, Bramblestar, told the cat from another world.

"Yes Bramblestar. I'm to watch over the whole Clan and not make a sound. I'm only to do so if there's any danger that I see." Lelouch answered.

"Very good. Now you'll be going at this alone, but I'm confident in you, and in the fact that all the Clans are still rebuilding after the Dark Forest battle."

"Right. I'll do my best." Bramblestar smiled before walking back to his den. "Rest well, Bramblestar." He called out.

"Hey you!" Lelouch jumped a bit when he heard a voice behind him, causing it to laugh. The voice belonged to Ivypool, Lelouch's mate. The two had made it official only a few days ago, and despite Lelouch not being from this world, he wasn't hesitant in accepting his feelings for the ThunderClan warrior.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." He told her with a small sigh.

"Well you can't say that if an invasion happens. Think of it as preparing you for your vigil." She responded with a small smile.

"How was your night vigil, Ivypool?"

"Oh, just the usual: No movement around the clan at all except for the trees flowing in the breeze. You really have nothing to worry about." She assured him. "Well, I should get to the warriors den now." She pressed her head under his muzzle and gave him a quick snuggle. "Protect the clan, savior." He smiled at her remark and she made her way to the warriors' den.

"She really is something…in the best way." He muttered to himself. _Well, I guess I should start._ Lelouch made his way towards a tree near the camp and camped up there to begin his guarding of the camp. _This is going to be difficult. I wonder if I should've taken a nap in the afternoon._ He thought before letting out a yawn. Lelouch was just officially made a warrior a few days ago after fighting with ThunderClan against the Dark Forest, an event that immediately put action into his new life after having to be resurrected thanks to his code that granted him immortality. It took a bit of getting used to, but the black cat really did enjoy the days he had been in this new world. He easily made new friends and was accustomed to clan life, and they were all now accustomed to him.

A few hours passed by, Lelouch still perched atop the tree near the camp. He could feel the urge to close his eyes creep upon him, but he would shake it off every time. _I really don't understand how any of them can do this._ He told himself, letting out a small yawn. He scratched the back of his left ear but suddenly stopped once he saw three lights illuminate the sky. _What the—_ He gazed at the spectacle longer and noticed that they were suddenly getting brighter. He then noticed that the other two lights began to become faint, while one continued to illuminate the sky. _Wait…it's coming closer!_ He thought in shock, but miraculously, the light disappeared once it reached the nearby woodlands. _What do I do now? Do I break my vigil and warn the Clan?_ He looked back at the dens in the camp, and then towards the forest. He let out a breath, and made his way into the woods in the direction of the mysterious light.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 _Ugh my head…What even just happened?_ Sora thought as he got up on four legs. _I'm in a different world? Can't say I'm surprised. It doesn't look like the forest in the Pridelands...and to top it all off it's dark out._ He sighed, and began his walk around the new world. _I must be some cat because I can see through all this darkness. At least that's a good thing. Wait a sec…Riku and Kairi!_ He realized that his friends weren't around him when he regained consciousness.

"Riku! Kairi! Where are you!" He called out, but received no response except for the small breeze and the running river nearby. He decided that he would go to the river to at least get an image of himself. As he was walking, Sora heard a rustling noise behind him and turned around. He looked at his surroundings before shrugging the thought off. _It's probably just the wind._ He thought as he heard the sound of the river become louder. After breaking through a few more ferns and brush, he reached the river and peered down in it to reveal his new form. He wasn't wrong when he thought that he was a cat. He saw that he had his hair was stylized much like how it was in his lion form, which blended in well with his brown fur, and he still had his necklace as well.

 _I have no idea where the other two are. Maybe I should search for them…or maybe I should start trying to figure out about these clans that we're apparently supposed to save._ He turned around and walked towards the forest again, but was suddenly pounced on by a cat who leaped out from the bushes he was about to enter. Sora was pinned to the grass below him, his eyes connected to his foe.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" The cat demanded, his violet eyes filled with fury, but it suddenly disappeared.

"Get off of me! I'm trying to look for my friends!" Sora responded, kicking the cat off of him. He now stood face to face with the black cat who unexpectedly attacked him, and the two were both ready to fight. _He's just a normal cat. I shouldn't need to use my Keyblade for this._ He told himself, but he then noticed the cat in front of him return to a normal, calm stature. Sora did the same, a rubbed a paw on his head. "Um…what gives?"

"You're not from this world, are you?" The cat asked him.

"Nope. It's the hair and necklace, isn't it?" He guessed, but the cat shook his head.

"It was mostly the look in your eyes once I tackled you…and the hair a little bit." He said. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Please, you'll have to do better if you want to do that." He responded with a small smile. "I'm Sora by the way. What's your name?"

"It's Lelouch. Like you, I'm also not from this world." Sora looked at him in awe.

"Really? Have you been around battling Heartless and saving worlds too?" Lelouch looked at him in confusion. "I guess it's a no then?"

"Yeah." Lelouch then let out a small gasp and looked at him once he remembered about the mysterious lights. "Wait…were you the light that I saw crash into the forest minutes ago?"

"I mean, maybe. My head did hurt a bit when I landed here."

"If that's the case, then the other two lights I saw must be two other cats as well."

"Riku and Kairi! They're my friends. It's a relief to at least know they're around here."

"Yes, but in other clan territory if I saw correctly." He replied, and Sora looked at him, wide-eyed. "Wait, clan territory? I also remember you saying something about a ThunderClan, right?" He quickly asked, and Lelouch looked at him strangely.

"Um…yes…"

"That's why I'm here. My friends and I were told that we would help bring peace to the clans." He explained.

 _Peace to the clans? Just like I was prophesized to do? Does that mean there's an impending danger none of us know about?_ Lelouch then looked over at the brown cat. _What do I do about him? I can't break my vigil unless there's some sort of immediate danger. I should just tell Bramblestar about it tomorrow._ "Sora, I would bring you to ThunderClan, but I'm under a silent vigil tonight. I know it might be hard for you, but stay around here somewhere and I'll bring you into the clan in the morning."

"Gotcha. Well, I guess I'll see you later then, Lelouch." The black cat nodded his head and made his way back to ThunderClan. _Wait until the morning? I guess I can do that. I am pretty tired anyway._ Sora looked around for a place to sleep. He saw a tall tree with a thick enough branch to support him, and climbed up it with ease, his four-legged form not being anything new to him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lelouch looked up at the rising sun and let out a small sigh. He somehow managed to survive the entire night without falling asleep, much to his surprise. _I need to tell Bramblestar about Sora. Hopefully he's awake now._ Lelouch gracefully got down from the tree he was in and headed back to the camp. He slowly made his way towards Bramblestar's den and looked inside. He saw that he and Squirrelflight were still asleep, their bodies touching each other.

"Um…Bramblestar?" Lelouch called out. He saw the leader slowly open his eyes and look over at Lelouch. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you as well. Find any threats overnight?" He asked.

"Well…it's not really a threat, but I found a cat on ThunderClan territory."

"I see. So you fought him off easily then?" The clan leader got up from his nest slowly, trying his best not to wake up his mate.

"Well, not exactly. I did fight him, but while I did, I could tell he wasn't from this world. I saw three lights that looked like shooting stars while I was on my vigil, and I saw that one landed in our territory. I went to investigate and found him." Bramblestar walked over to Lelouch, interested in what apparently went on during his silent vigil.

"What else?"

"He was saying that he and his two other friends were sent to this world as a savior of some sorts."

"Saviors? The clans are still recovering from the battle with the Dark Forest, are they not?"

"I understand that, which is why I was a bit puzzled at first, but why would a cat from a different world lie about that?"

"You're right. Do you know where he is now?" Lelouch nodded. "Good. Go out and bring him back into the clan."

"Yes, Bramblestar." Lelouch left the leader's den and made his way towards the forest.

"Where do you think you're going?" He turned around and saw Ivypool approach him. "Good morning."

"Hi Ivypool. Do you want to walk out into the forest with me?"

"How could I refuse? I'm one of the first ones awake, so there's really no clan activity going on." She told him.

"Alright then, let's go." Lelouch took the lead, and his mate followed.

"Where are we going anyway?" She asked over the sound of the spring leaves crunching below their paws.

"During my vigil I found a cat from a different world. He told me that he and his other friends were the saviors to the clans."

"Saviors to the clans? Like you?"

"Yeah, but there's no danger currently in the forest…but maybe there will be soon." _Could they just be cats that arrived late for the Dark Forest battle, or is there really danger on the horizon?_ The two walked for ten minutes until they reached the river. "He has to be here somewhere…" Lelouch looked up in the trees and Ivypool did the same. "Sora!" He called out, but there was no response. "Either he's gone, or he's a deep sleeper. I really don't have time for this either." He let out a yawn. "Please tell me Bramblestar will let me rest when we get back." Ivypool let out a small laugh.

"I'm sure he will. If he doesn't he'll automatically be worse than Firestar." She joked. "Wait…" She sniffed the air, and the scent caused her to look up towards one of the nearby trees. "I think I found your cat." Ivypool walked towards the tree and climbed up it. Once she got to one of the biggest branches, she saw a brown cat curled up, fast asleep. She walked over to the cat and shook his body. "Hey, wake up." He slowly opened his eyes and their blue eyes both connected with each other.

"Oh, hey. I'm actually here just waiting for someone. His name's Lelouch, and…" Ivypool simply pointed below the tree and Sora looked down at the black cat below. "Yup, that's him."

"Could you not hear me call your name?" Lelouch asked him as he saw the two climb down from the tree.

"Nope. I was sleeping pretty soundly. I'm kinda good at it." He joked with a small smile. "So, who's your friend, Lelouch?"

"This is Ivypool. She's a ThunderClan cat." He told her.

"Oh, hi! I'm Sora." He greeted her. "So, are you both taking me to your clan or something?"

"That's the plan. Our leader, Bramblestar, said it was okay to bring you to the camp. Just follow us, alright?" Lelouch said, and Sora nodded.

The three made it to the clan and saw that some more cats were awake, but for the most part, the clan was still quiet. Lelouch saw Bramblestar standing in front of his den and once the two saw each other, Bramblestar walked back into his den.

"Well I guess I'll leave you two to talk to Bramblestar. I'm going to see if anyone else wants to go hunt."

"Okay. Be safe, Ivypool." Lelouch told her before she headed over to the Warriors' den. The two made their way up to Bramblestar's den, Sora getting their before Lelouch. "You seem accustomed to this form."

"Yeah, well it's not my first time being a cat. I've been a lion cub before." Sora responded.

"Really? I'm sure I'll find out how that's possible soon." He took the lead again and stepped into the leader's den first. When the two entered, both Bramblestar and Squirrelflight greeted them with a smile. "Bramblestar, this is the cat I told you about."

"Right, one of the three cats that claim to be saviors to the clans? What's your name?"

"I'm Sora. Somehow I was sent here to your world and was told that my two friends and I would be saviors to the clans."

"Saviors? Are you sure you weren't just brought to this world on a late notice?" Squirrelflight questioned, much like Lelouch thought while he was in the forest.

"I can't say for sure. I know it's kinda hard to believe a cat that you just met, but I'm not here to hurt any of you." Bramblestar shook his head.

"It's not as hard as you think. Like Lelouch, you hail from a different world and I can tell that you really do mean well." The ThunderClan leader told him. "Sora, you're welcome to stay in ThunderClan for the time being. You also said that you had two other friends, right?"

"Well…I mean, I didn't say that, but I think Lelouch must've told you." The violet-eyed cat nodded his head.

"I did. Bramblestar, I believe that those two are in different clan territories."

"I see. I believe that we could go investigate to find your friends…however…"

"What?" Sora stated.

"I don't want to enter another clan's territory because it may possibly seem like a threat, despite the alliance we have at the moment."

"There's supposed to be a Gathering soon, isn't there?" His mate told him. "Maybe we can find your friends then."

"I don't think it'll be in a few sunrises, but that's our best bet. Sora, do you think you can hold off that long?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure to stick around in case anything strange happens." _I just hope that Kairi and Riku are okay. Hopefully the others clans are as kindhearted as this one._


	3. Chapter 2: Familiar Experience

Chapter 2: Familiar Experience

 _"Hey, do you think she's_ okay?"

"I mean, she doesn't look like she's injured or anything."

 _Wha-What's going on?_ Kairi slowly opened her eyes.

"She's waking up." Kairi looked at the two cats looming above her body. One was a light brown tom, and the other one was a pale gray tom. "Hi there." Kairi let out a small scream.

"Well, we all know she doesn't like you, Grasspelt."

"Shut up, Pebblefoot!" The light brown tom pushed the gray cat a bit. They both looked over at Kairi and saw that her breathing increased. "Hey, calm down, everything's alright." Grasspelt told her.

"But you're…both talking cats!" She told them.

"Um…you're the one to talk." Pebblefoot responded. "Have you ever looked at yourself lately?" Kairi didn't answer and attempted to get up.

"Are you hurt?" Again, Kairi ignored the cat and figured out how to get up in her new form. Once she did that, she slowly walked over to the nearby stream. She looked at her reflection and saw that an auburn-furred cat with crystal blue eyes now stared back at her. _I look so cute! But on a serious note: why am I a cat now? Is this one of the different worlds Sora traveled to?_

"My last remark wasn't meant to be taken literally." Pebblefoot told her.

"What? Sorry about all that." She apologized.

"It's okay. Are you a loner?" Grasspelt asked her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kairi got on the defensive and quickly stepped away from the two, her claws unsheathed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It just means that you're a cat with no owner, that's all!" Pebblefoot assured her, and she let out a breath.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay. You seem a bit strange for a cat. What's with all the…stuff?" Pebblefoot asked, noticing Kairi's pearl necklace and her blue, black, and white armbands on her left foreleg.

"What? You mean my necklace and armbands?"

"Sure...I guess." Pebblefoot then shook his head. "Why are we having a conversation anyway? You're not from any of the clans, but you're on RiverClan territory and you have to go."

"Does she really? She was unconscious just a few moments ago."

"Did you not remember that she almost attacked you if I didn't butt in and explain what a loner was to her? Now go and tell your she-cat friend to leave." The two RiverClan cats began arguing and Kairi let out a sigh. _They're just like Sora and Riku in a way…wait a second…_

"Wait! You both said you were from RiverClan?" Kairi interrupted.

"Um, yeah. So you have heard of it?" Grasspelt asked, but she shook her head.

"Can you take me there?"

"Why would we do that?" Pebblefoot asked.

"Listen, I know it's going to sound hard to believe, but I'm not from this world. My two other friends and I were sent to this world and were told that we were going to protect the clans."

"Not from this world? Didn't Mistystar tell us about that one ThunderClan cat that wasn't from this world as well?" Pebblefoot looked over at Grasspelt, and he nodded.

"Yeah, his name's Lelouch. I only remember because Petalfur constantly talks about him ever since she caught one single glimpse of him one day."

"Ha, seems like Mallownose might have some competition now." Pebblefoot looked over at Kairi. "I guess the right thing to do would be to bring you into our territory anyway. Follow us." Kairi followed the two toms until they reached the RiverClan camp. She looked at it in awe. She didn't know how cats living in the wild could make something like this.

"I mean, it's not in the greatest shape due to our recent battle with the Dark Forest, but it's getting back to its original self." Grasspelt told her.

"It's really amazing. You all built this yourself?"

"Yup…well not us two, but the clan as a whole." Pebblefoot stated. "We should take you to Mistystar now. She's our leader. She's really kind, so no need to worry." The three cats entered the leader's den and saw Mistystar lying down on a bed of moss.

"Pebblefoot, Grasspelt, welcome back." She greeted with a smile, but then it faded when her eyes locked onto Kairi. "Why have you both brought a loner into our clan? Do you not know that we're still recovering from the Dark Forest battle?"

"W-we know Mistystar, but she's not a threat. She says she was brought here with her two other friends." Grasspelt stammered, fearful of her leader's accused insubordination.

"I see. Very well then. You two may go work on your clan duties."

"Yes, Mistystar." The two RiverClan cats left, leaving Kairi and Mistystar alone.

"Well, you don't seem threatening…so is what Grasspelt told me true?"

"Yes, ma'am. My name is Kairi and I come from another world called Destiny Islands. My two other friends Sora and Riku are here as well and we were told that we would be the key to the clans' survival and peace."

"Much like Lelouch of ThunderClan…" Mistystar whispered to herself. "Kairi, I haven't received any prophecy as of late, and like I think you heard me tell those two, we were just in a battle recently."

"I understand, but please don't send me away. If I have to protect your clan from some danger you haven't heard of yet, I will. I don't want to see any of you or cats from this clan hurt."

"We've only just met and you let off such a selfless and protective attitude." Mistystar let out a smile. "You express traits of a fine warrior, Kairi. I'll be glad to let you stay in RiverClan."

"Thank you, Mistystar. I won't let you down." _Well, this clan trusts me, so I guess I'm off to a good start. I just hope Riku and Sora can say the same._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 _Ugh…my head…_ Riku shook off any remaining unconsciousness and looked around. He saw that the trees around him were massive. _What the…whoa!_ As he tried to stand up, he fell to the ground, realizing that he now had to walk on four legs. _What's going on here?_ He got up correctly this time and made his way to the nearby lake. He looked down and saw that he was now staring at a silver cat with blue-green eyes, and fur that would occasionally cover his eyes. _Am I the cat in the stained glass picture?_ He wondered, turning around to look back at the forest. _I don't know what's in there, but I'm sure I can fend for myself if it comes to it. I have to find the clans that the prophecy foretold._ He made his way into the forest as fast, but also as quiet, as he could. He sniffed the air and kept his hearing alert, utilizing his new improved senses to try to find some sort of link to the clans. As he was walking, he heard voices from behind some bushes and stopped moving.

"Damn, those Dark Forest cats really did a deal to the clan." One of the cats said.

"You're telling me. My shoulder's a bit achy from the battle still. At least everything's fine now." Riku now entered the bushes to get a glimpse of where the voices were coming from. He saw two cats: one was a white she-cat with green eyes, and the other was a cream-furred she-cat with amber eyes.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"Yeah. Dawnpelt…you smell that too, right?" the white cat asked, and her friend nodded.

"We should go check it out, Snowbird. It's not from any of the clans, though."

"So that leaves three options: rogue, kittypet, or loner. Regardless, they're on ShadowClan territory, so let's teach them a lesson, shall we?" Snowbird stated. _Damn it, they're bound to find me, but shouldn't I just make myself…_ "Thinking about something? Or are you just going to sit there in the bush and look pretty for ShadowClan?" She asked him, revealing his hiding spot.

"Aw, don't scare him Snowbird. You two look almost identical. It's strange, really." Dawnpelt told her.

"Please, he's not related to me in any way."

"Well then you two can be a couple then!"

"Seriously Dawnpelt? It would be soooo wrong." Riku just looked at the two and sighed.

"Weren't you just interrogating me?" He asked.

"Oh, right..." Snowbird pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. "What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?"

"Look, I'm not from this world. If you let me go to your clan I can explain everything."

"Not from this world? Like Lelouch, right Snowbird?" Dawnpelt told her.

"What? Y-you mean that ThunderClan cat?" Riku could see the slightest blush on her face. _So much for this all being a serious conversation._

"You know the one. Anyway, we should let him go. If he's from a different world he can't be that bad."

"I guess you're right." Snowbird got off of him and helped him up. "Sorry about that. I'm Snowbird and this is Dawnpelt. We're from ShadowClan. What's your name?"

"Riku."

"Well Riku, if you're from another world I'm sure Blackstar might be interested to see you." Snowbird told him. "Just follow us and we'll be there in no time. It's not that far from here." Riku walked behind the two she-cats for a few minutes until they finally reached the ShadowClan camp. All the cats around paused what they were doing and just stared at the three, more at Riku than anything.

"Why'd they bring a loner in the camp?"

"What if he's got more friends waiting to attack? We're not even recovered from the Dark Forest." Around the camp, cats began wondering what Riku's reason for being here was, but all he wanted to do was speak with the leader.

"Riku, right in here is where Blackstar is. Snowbird's just going in to explain everything." Dawnpelt told him. They saw her walk out a few seconds later.

"Alright, you're all set. Good luck with whatever you need to accomplish." Snowbird told him before she and Dawnpelt left to perform more clan duties. Riku stepped inside and saw the white-furred ShadowClan leader.

"Please, have a seat." Blackstar told him. "Snowbird tells me that your name is Riku, but also that you're not from this world, correct." Riku nodded his head.

"Yes. My friends and I were brought here to help the clans. We were told that we were the key to their survival and peace." He explained.

"I see…and what about your friends? Where are they now?"

"I don't know. When I regained consciousness I saw no sign of them whatsoever." Blackstar gave him a understanding nod.

"Very well. If that's the case, you are welcome in ShadowClan. If any evil is to strike the clans, the most opportune time would most likely be sometime soon, especially after we're still recovering from the Dark Forest. Riku, I hope that you can be the savior that this clan needs when the time is right." Riku nodded.

"Yes Blackstar, I won't let you down."


	4. Chapter 3: Prophecy Received

Chapter 3: Prophecy Received

 _After a long day_ , the moon finally began to rise and the cats of ThunderClan were preparing to go to bed. Sora was brought into the warriors' den by Lelouch, who helped him find a spot near him and Ivypool.

"So Sora, are you enjoying ThunderClan so far?" Lionblaze asked him.

"Yeah. It seems really uniform and stuff. I really just hope that I can see Riku and Kairi soon." He replied.

"I'm sure you'll see your friends soon. We did say you would at the next Gathering, after all." Cinderheart told him.

"You're right. Besides, I'm sure they're safe. Riku's a pretty good fighter, and Kairi…" Sora's voice suddenly trailed off. "…I'm sure she's safe."

"Well if she isn't, you'll be the hero that'll come and save her. You do like her, right?" Dovewing gave him a sly smile, and he blushed.

"We're just friends, that's all!" He quickly stated, causing the others to laugh. "Why don't we just go to sleep now? I'm pretty tired." The others agreed, and drifted off to sleep.

Lelouch slowly opened his eyes and looked at the starlit sky around him. He realized that he was in StarClan again, and gazed across the peaceful meadow. _Why am I here?_ He asked himself.

"Hi, Lelouch." He turned around to see a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat. It was Spottedleaf.

"Oh, hi Spottedleaf. Is there something that you need to tell me?" She simply nodded her head, but he saw that from her expression something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I mean, no…it's just…" Although Lelouch only saw this cat for a second time, he didn't expect her to be one that got flustered with her words.

"What is it?"

"The first time we met, do you remember me guiding you around StarClan?"

"Yeah. We were walking and we saw the cherry blossom petals flowing in the breeze."

"Right. Well, after you left…I realized that none of the other StarClan cats noticed me…not even Firestar…" She replied, crestfallen.

"What? You're still in StarClan though, and I can recognize you just fine."

"That's just it: you're the only one who can see me, Lelouch."

"Oh…I'm sorry Spottedleaf. You have to live in isolation because of me." She let out a small smile.

"It's okay. I mean, I'm still here, and at least I'm helping ThunderClan in a way by talking to you, and you're nice company."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." He responded, happy that the former medicine cat was back to her normal self. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, right. It's about Sora and his friends." She began. "Sora is telling the truth about there being an approaching evil, and one of his friends is right near the source." Lelouch wasn't fazed by the first thing she said, but it was the latter that worried him a bit. She then continued. "Death, sadness, hopelessness; all happen when someone loses a heart."

"Spottedleaf…are those three things going to occur somewhere in the forest?" He asked, but she shook her head.

"I can't say for sure."

"Someone losing a heart…that must be metaphorical in some way, right?" Again, she shook her head.

"I don't know. It's up to you to spread the word and make sure that Bramblestar knows about it."

"Right. I'll make sure to tell him."

"Good, and Lelouch?" Their gazes locked, her amber eyes connected to his violet ones. "Just know that I'll always be watching you from StarClan. I'll make sure to protect you in any way I can. Think of me as your C.C. in this world."

"Right. Thank you for everything, Spottedleaf." She smiled as she slowly watched Lelouch's body leave StarClan.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Bramblestar's amber eyes opened and he saw that he was no longer in his den anymore. _StarClan? It must be about Sora._ He told himself as he began his walk towards where most of ThunderClan's past warriors resided. He saw a flame-colored pelt and walked towards it, Bramblestar knowing it was his mentor and previous ThunderClan leader, Firestar.

"Bramblestar, it's good to see you here." He greeted him with a smile, and Bramblestar responded with a bow, causing him to let out a small meow of laughter. "You're a leader too you know."

"Oh, right, sorry, Firestar." He apologized.

"Don't sweat it. I still greet Bluestar the same way from time to time." He responded. "There's something I need to tell you about. You'll need to follow me." Bramblestar nodded and followed Firestar around StarClan. He was happy to see how peaceful all the cats were here, whether they were hunting the endless amount of prey, or simply just sharing tongues. "If you don't mind me asking, how's Sandstorm doing? Oh, and Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Is she a good deputy?" Bramblestar let out a small laugh.

"They're all doing fine. The clans are still recovering from the battle still."

"Right. How about Lelouch? Is he officially a warrior now?" Bramblestar nodded. "That's great. You know if he was actually from this world I'm sure he'd be the leader of ThunderClan eventually."

"I wouldn't doubt it. He reminds me of you, Firestar, and he does sound a bit like you too, ironically." The former leader let out a small smile.

"I've told him that too, well, not the sounding like me part. It was almost like looking into a mirror."

"Have you talked with him lately?" Firestar shook his head.

"I can't seem to find him here. Some cats said they've seen him, but I haven't." They made their way to Fourtrees, which was a major landmark in the Clans' old territory before the lake territory they were currently at. "The other Clan leaders are coming as well. There's a prophecy I have to tell you about."

"Is it about Sora?" He nodded his head. They heard the sound of rustling grass and saw the remaining three leaders make their way towards them.

"Firestar, it's great to see you." Mistystar told him with a smile.

"Is there something that you need to tell us?" Onestar asked.

"Yes. In the forest, there are three cats not from this world, and Bramblestar tells me that he has found one of them."

"Do you mean one of Riku's friends?" Blackstar stated.

"And that means those must be Kairi's friends, right?" Mistystar added.

"Right. Onestar, there hasn't been a mysterious cat on your territory, but this prophecy still holds some importance to you as well."

"What is it?" Bramblestar asked.

"Three saviors shall rise and bring justice. They are the key to the Clans' survival and peace."

"That's what Sora told me…"

"Does this mean there is evil still in the forest?" Onestar asked.

"It's a possibility. This prophecy is all I know." Firestar replied.

"Does this mean that WindClan will be unharmed by this evil?" Blackstar wondered.

"Like I said, the prophecy is all I know. Each clan should make sure to be protected, especially after the Dark Forest battle."

"Right. We're all still under a truce for a while anyway so hopefully the threat is a foreign one." Bramblestar looked over at the other leaders, and they each nodded their heads in agreement. "Well then, that's all I needed to tell you four. StarClan shall be guiding your every pawstep." With that, Firestar watched as each of the leaders began to fade and leave StarClan.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lelouch opened his eyes the next morning and carefully got up to stretch his body. The morning sun broke through the trees in the forest, and the cool wind blew through his fur. _I should go tell Bramblestar about what Spottedleaf told me._ He reminded himself as he walked over to the leader's den.

"Good morning, Lelouch." He turned around to see Squirrelflight walk over to him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and how about yourself?"

"I guess you could say that. Realizing that I'm deputy now is a bit of a hard thing to take in still." She responded. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a morning hunting patrol."

"I'd be honored too, but I actually have to talk with Bramblestar about something."

"That's fine. While you do that, I'll pick out other cats for a hunting patrol."

"Sounds good. I'll see you later." Lelouch walked over to Bramblestar's den and greeted him. "Good morning, Bramblestar."

"Good morning, Lelouch. I was wondering if you could bring Sora over here for me since you're here."

"Sure, but there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Spottedleaf talked to me last night and she told me something about a prophecy that is linked to Sora's somehow." He told him. "Death, sadness, hopelessness; all happen when someone loses a heart. I don't know what it's about, but I'm worried that an impending evil is arriving again." Bramblestar looked down at the ground.

"The clans are still recovering...and I was just made leader a few sunrises ago…" He then looked up at Lelouch. "We must stay vigilant. Can you bring Sora over here now?" Lelouch nodded his head before exiting the den. Lelouch saw that Squirrelflight had already created a hunting patrol, consisting of Blossomfall and Rosepetal.

"Lelouch, are you ready to go?" Squirrelflight asked. "These two were the only ones I could find that weren't busy at the moment."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Just let me go get Sora to tell him and I'll be ready to go." He informed her. He headed over to the warriors' den and saw Sora's sleeping body. "Sora, wake up." He told him, giving his body a shake at the same time. He saw his blue eyes slowly open.

"Oh, hey what's up?"

"Bramblestar wants to speak with you." Sora got up from his bed of moss and let out a yawn.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

"Good." Lelouch walked out of the den and walked over to Blossomfall and Rosepetal.

"Hi Lelouch. Are you ready to go hunting?" Blossomfall asked him.

"Yeah. Let's get going." He took the lead, and the two she-cats followed him into the forest. As they left, Sora made his way over to Bramblestar's den.

"Sora, it's good to see you."

"Lelouch told me that you wanted to see me?" The leader nodded, and Sora sat down.

"I didn't doubt your prophecy, but Firestar, ThunderClan's past leader, told me and the other clan leaders about it last night. You and your friends are the saviors that this forest will need, but none of us are sure when that time will come." He said. "Lelouch also told me of a prophecy that he was told. He said that death, sadness, and hopelessness all happen when someone loses a heart."

"That's what a voice told me before I was brought to this world."

"Do you know what it could mean?"

"I might…but I'm not entirely sure."

"Go on."

"There are these evil monsters that I've encountered called Heartless. From their name you can tell that they have no hearts and are imbued with the power of darkness. In the case of my friends and I it would make sense if we were sent here because the Heartless are around. Have you seen any dark creatures around? They usually hide in the shadows."

"I haven't and none of the warriors have reported anything of the like."

"That's a good thing. So they aren't here yet…but they might be soon."

"How soon?"

"I can't say for sure. It's unpredictable, really."

"I see. Well thank you for telling me this, Sora. I also wanted to tell you that tonight is the Gathering, so you'll be able to see your two friends."

"Really? That's great news! Thanks for telling me that Bramblestar!" The leader smiled.

"It's no trouble at all. If you want, ask Squirrelflight to put you on a border patrol today so you can get a greater glimpse of ThunderClan territory." Sora nodded and walked out of the den and headed over to Squirrelflight.

"Hi Squirrelflight. Bramblestar wanted me to ask you if I could go on border patrol so that I could see more of ThunderClan's territory."

"Of course. I think Brackenfur and Cloudtail are available at the moment." She told him, looking at the two warriors walking around the clan. "Brackenfur! Cloudtail!" She called out, and the two walked over to her.

"Hey Squirrelflight. What's up?" Cloudtail greeted.

"Do you both mind going on border patrol with Sora? He wants to see more of our territory."

"I don't see why not." Brackenfur told her.

"Yeah. C'mon Sora, let's go!" Cloudtail said cheerfully.

"Be careful you three." The deputy told them.

"Don't worry! We'll be fine!" The white tom assured her.

The three cats began their walk through the forest, Sora learning more about the two, and in turn telling them more about himself.

"So going to different worlds is completely normal to you?" Brackenfur asked.

"Yup. I've been to a world where I was a lion cub before, so being a cat feels similar." He responded.

"That's really awesome! I can't imagine how many adventures you're going to probably have after this one." Cloudtail told him in amazement.

"You're telling me. I really can't wait for tonight though. I'll get to see Riku and Kairi again." He said in joy. "But for now, I wanna see more of ThunderClan."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Hey Riku, hey!" Riku let out a small groan and opened his eyes to see Snowbird looming above him. "Do you always sleep this much?"

"No, not really. How long was I asleep?"

"Only around ten minutes later than the last cat who woke up." Dawnpelt stated from his right. "C'mon, Snowbird and I are going to give you a small tour around the territory." Riku got up and gave his ear a small scratch.

"Okay. Should we get going now?"

"Yup. We could also teach you how to hunt as well. It's a good skill for you to have." Snowbird told him before the three walked out of the warriors' den.

"Dawnpelt, where are you going?" A dark ginger tom approached the three.

"Snowbird and I are going to show Riku around ShadowClan territory. Blackstar said it was okay." She explained.

"Right, well you three be safe."

"Father, I'm sure that we'll be fine. The clans are still under a pseudo-alliance, correct?" She responded.

"Yes, but just be careful out there." He told the three again before walking away.

"That was Dawnpelt's dad. He's the deputy of the clan." Snowbird told him.

"He looks like he would hold a role such as that one."

"Aw, thanks Riku." Dawnpelt thanked him. She saw her brother across the camp and smiled. "Hey Tigerheart!" She greeted from afar. They saw him turn around to look at his sister, but he simply just turned back around.

"What's wrong with him?" Dawnpelt let out a sigh.

"He's just being stupid, that's all." She pressed on, and the two white cats followed.

"Now what's up with her?"

"It's Tigerheart. He's in love with a ThunderClan cat. Her name's Dovewing." Snowbird explained.

"Does she not feel the same way or something?" The two heard Dawnpelt let out a sigh, and she turned around to look at the two.

"Last time I remember she felt the same way, but the problem is that cats from different clans aren't allowed to be mates. It's against the warrior code." She looked over in the direction of her brother again, and saw that he just sat alone, motionless. "He's usually so upbeat and happy…but I haven't seen him this bad before."

"Do you mind if I talk with him after this trip?" Riku asked, and she shook her head.

"Not at all. I'm sure he could use the company." She smiled. "Well then let's get this done quick. I want to see my brother smile." They began their walk through the forest, the two she-cats explaining the warrior code a bit more to Riku as they walked through the forest.

"I guess it's good that each clan has a set of rules that they all follow, but those rules end up getting in the way of the heart."

"Which is also why you can't be with Lelouch, Snowbird." Dawnpelt teased, causing her friend to blush.

"Please, I don't love him…he's just cute is all." She admitted before shaking off her embarrassment. "Anyway, we're getting close to our border with ThunderClan. Riku, do you smell their scent?" He closed his eyes and focused on his sense of smell.

"I think so. It's different from what I've been smelling in ShadowClan…but could it also be another clan's?" Dawnpelt shook her head.

"It isn't. Like Snowbird said, this is our border with ThunderClan. The one with RiverClan is very far from here." The three walked through the trees and were now in front of a dirt path. "If you ever forget where our border is, just remember that the Twolegpath is what divides ThunderClan from us."

"Twolegpath?"

"Yes. Twolegs sometimes walk by here to get to the lake." Dawnpelt told him.

"By Twolegs, you mean people, right?"

"People? Is that what they're called where you're from?" Snowbird asked him.

"Yeah. I guess how I refer to them is how Twolegs call them."

"So then…you're a Twoleg?" Dawnpelt said with a small bit of fear in her voice. Riku nodded his head.

"I promise that I'm not here to hurt any of you. If humans exist in this world then I was brought here as a cat for a reason. The clans are what my friends and I want to protect."

"I'm sorry if I offended you. Riku. It's just…a bit strange to hear that you're a cat now, but you're actually a Twoleg." She apologized.

"It's alright. Now, how far until the RiverClan border?"

"We'll have to turn around. It'll take a bit, but not too long." Snowbird stated before taking the lead.

Over on the other side of the Twolegpath, Cloudtail, Brackenfur, and Sora broke through the forest and saw the dirt path.

"Right here's our border with ShadowClan. Their scent is really fresh right now. Sora do you smell it?" Brackenfur asked.

"Yeah. What do you think they're doing this close to the path?"

"I'm not sure. But as long as they're not scented around this side of the Twolegpath, we're fine." Cloudtail explained. "Come on, let's get going."

After visiting the RiverClan border. Riku, Dawnpelt, and Snowbird returned to ShadowClan. Snowbird broke away from them and left the two to look for Tigerheart. They saw him walking towards the fresh-kill pile and he dropped a mouse on the top of it.

"Tigerheart!" His amber eyes gazed toward his sister.

"Hey Dawnpelt."

"Hi. I wanted to introduce you to Riku. I know that you sorta were introduced yesterday, but today I was wondering if he could spend some time with you." Tigerheart simply shrugged.

"Sure, I don't mind." She smiled, and looked over at Riku.

"Thanks again for doing this." She whispered to him before she left the two toms alone. The two cats looked at each other, both not speaking. After a while, Tigerheart broke the silence.

"It's okay, I know my sister put you up to this." He started.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's been worrying about me, about my heart…"

"Well what do you expect a sister to do? If anything, she's one of the greatest friends you've got." He told him. "It's a blessing to have friends; they keep your mind straight. You can't really live life without any help."

"Why are you telling me all this?" He asked. "We should go somewhere else. The fresh-kill pile isn't exactly the best place to talk." Riku nodded, and he followed the tabby cat over to a secluded spot in the camp.

"I'm telling you this because I want to help you. Your sister actually didn't ask for me to help, I offered to help."

"But why? You don't know who I am, and I don't know you that well either."

"Well that's what we're doing now." He responded. "And because…Dawnpelt told me how joyful and upbeat you are…just like one of my friends who's somewhere in this forest. Whoever's friends with you must miss that spirit that you have. I know I did when I lost my friend…"

"Thanks Riku…but I really just don't know when I'll get better. Love is just one of those things that need time and for now, I think I need that time." He told him.

"Okay then. I'll leave you to yourself." Riku got up from where he was sitting and began walking towards the warriors' den.

"Wait." The white cat turned around. "We're friends now." Tigerheart cracked a small smile, and Riku did the same. As he walked over to the den, Dawnpelt approached him.

"That was a bit quick. Is he okay now?" Riku shook his head.

"Not yet, but I know he'll be."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey Kairi!" The auburn she-cat turned around to see two other she-cats walking over to her. One of them was gray and white, while the other had dark gray fur.

"Oh, hi. You're Petalfur, and you're Minnowtail, right?" She asked, and they both nodded.

"Yup. We were wondering if you were doing anything at the moment." Minnowtail stated. Kairi looked over at the dark gray cat and shook her head.

"Not really. If there's anything I can do to help the clan, I will." Petalfur let out a small laugh.

"That's not what we came here to ask you. Mistystar wanted us to take you around the clan's territory. She did ask Pebblefoot and my brother, but I told him that you might want some she-cat company so I offered and decided to take Minnowtail with me."

"Don't think I don't want to take you around, Kairi. I'm glad to." The other she-cat assured her.

"I'd appreciate it you two, thanks." She responded, following the two other cats from behind. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"Well, we're going to our border with ShadowClan first, and then our border with WindClan." Petalfur said. "We need to see if any cats have been on our territory, but I sorta doubt it, and I think Mistystar does as well, but taking you around is a good opportunity to check them out." As the three were walking, they began to ask Kairi more questions about herself, the two RiverClan she-cats making room for her between them.

"So what are…well…all the things you have on you? I don't know what they are but they look really cute on you, not to mention the fur on top of your head." Petalfur said, scanning the auburn cat.

"Oh, well these things around my paws are called bracelets, and the thing around my neck is called a necklace."

"Hm…seems like Twoleg trinkets to me, no offense." Minnowtail stated.

"Twolegs?"

"You don't have them back in your world, Kairi?" Petalfur asked. "Anyway, Twolegs are these creatures who…well…stand on two legs with fur only on their heads. They usually go to the lake with their kits and cause a disturbance to the territories."

"Oh…those would be humans, at least, that's what they're called in my world. I'm actually a human originally." The two cats suddenly stopped and looked back at her.

"You're originally a Twoleg? Petalfur, can we actually still trust her?" Kairi looked over at Minnowtail in worry. "What if she goes back to her world and just tells our clan's secrets?"

"Come on, you're honestly being too paranoid about all of this. Kairi and her friends are here to help the clans, I'm sure of it. Don't you remember that Lelouch is also a Twoleg as well?"

"Of course you'd remember facts regarding your ThunderClan crush." Petalfur began to blush at her clanmate's remark.

"So what Grasspelt said yesterday was right." Kairi said with a giggle.

"My brother said what!?" Petalfur's increased embarrassment caused the other two cats to share a laugh together.

"He just said you talk about Lelouch a lot ever since you saw him one day." Kairi explained.

"Well it's true, right?"

"I mean, I don't think I talk about him that much, but…his eyes…and…" Petalfur shook her head. "Anyway, let's stop talking about my love interests and continue onto our border, okay?" The two other cats nodded and continued their walk towards the ShadowClan border.

After about ten more minutes of walking, Kairi saw that up ahead was a vacant dock.

"Is that dock part of your territory?" She asked the two.

"Dock? You mean the Halfbridge?" Minnowtail corrected, and Kairi nodded. "Yes, they are, but we rarely go there because in Greenleaf Twolegs usually are there, and there's not much there for us to worry about. On the other side of there is ShadowClan territory. You can kinda smell their scent markers from here, so they must be really fresh." Kairi sniffed the air.

"Wow, it really is different from the RiverClan scent. I wonder how that works."

"It's just one of those things StarClan keeps track of, I guess." Petalfur responded. "Let's go over to WindClan territory now then maybe Minnowtail and I can teach you how to hunt while you're here."

"Sure. I want to be able to help the clan in any way possible."

"Well then we'll probably go fishing today and land hunting tomorrow." Minnowtail suggested. "Actually, why don't we practice fishing before we go to the WindClan border? It's just along the way."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Petalfur ran to take the lead, and the two others ran right behind her.


	5. Chapter 4: Turn to Darkness

Chapter 4: Turn to Darkness

 _"_ _Alright, is everyone ready_ for the Gathering?" Bramblestar asked the cats that were behind him. He decided that Sora, Squirrelflight, Lelouch, Jayfeather, Ivypool, Dovewing, Lionblaze, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail would go tonight. Once he saw that they were all there, he took the lead and the other cats followed him.

"I really hope that I see Riku and Kairi tonight. I'm positive they're safe, but I'm still a bit wary." Sora stated.

"As long as they had some favorable interactions, they should be fine. The clans are still rebuilding and healing after all." Lelouch assured him.

"Lelouch's right. I can't wait to meet your friends too, actually. Apparently all cats from different worlds are friendly." Ivypool said. "Hey sis, why don't you try and listen to see if you can hear any unfamiliar voices? Maybe you can find out which one's Riku and Kairi's."

"Woah, can you actually do that?" Sora looked over at Dovewing in awe.

"I usually can…but I don't think I have the power to do so anymore." She confessed.

"What? But I thought StarClan graced you with that power." Lionblaze told her in surprise.

"I did too, but I guess my job in the prophecy is done." She responded. "At least I'm finally back to being a normal cat."

"You're happy about that?" Cloudtail interjected. "I'd be devastated if I woke up and didn't have any powers."

"Right? If I couldn't use my Keyblade or magic one day I don't know how I'd live. It's become a part of me."

"Wait…what's a Key…blade?" Ivypool asked.

"Maybe you can show it tonight with your friends at the Gathering." They heard Bramblestar talk from the front of them as he continued walking. "It would be the best thing to do."

"Right. I don't have a problem with that. I'm sure Riku and Kairi won't mind either."

The cats continued their journey towards the lake until they came across a fallen tree connecting to an island inside of it. Sora sniffed the air and could smell different scents.

"I smell ShadowClan and WindClan cats as well as one that I think is just the lake."

"That would be RiverClan. I'm surprised that you remember the scents from your first day around the territory." Squirrelflight told him, and he let out a prideful smile. "That does mean that we're the last clan to show up. We should get going."

"Right. Sora, Lelouch, be careful as you walk across the tree." Bramblestar warned the two before he began walking across to the island. Although he was worried, the two cats managed to get to the island with ease. Once they were all across, Bramblestar broke away from his clan and walked towards the other leaders.

"Wow, there's a lot of cats here." Sora stated, looking around at cats from the other three clans. "It shouldn't be that difficult to find Riku and Kairi here."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see them soon. We're allowed to mingle with the other clans, but you should stay here so you don't get lost." Squirrelflight informed him.

"Yes ma'am." He let out a small sigh. He looked at the other clan cats and saw that they also looked right at him as well.

"Hey Lelouch, look over there." Dovewing pointed a claw over to where the RiverClan cats were. He looked over and saw three she-cats looking over in his direction. One was a gray and white cat, who immediately looked away when he did, and her other friends laughed at her reaction. "Ivypool, I think you and Lelouch need to permanently go out on patrols together because he seems to have some admirers from the other clans."

"I know Lelouch would never cheat on me. Besides, I have to watch out for cats inside our clan, especially the one I'm talking to right now." Lelouch looked over at Dovewing and he and Ivypool saw her begin to blush.

"C'mon Ivypool, no need to tease her like that." Lelouch told her. "Besides, I'm used to being followed by the opposite sex. I kinda wish I didn't have to deal with it in the first place because it usually ends up with me running away and them following."

"So you're just a charmer then, huh?" Dovewing told him jokingly.

"Far from it. Most of the time I was chased for my looks, but at least you two like me for more than that…right?" He looked at the two sisters.

"Of course. Being cute is just a bonus." Ivypool told him, giving his cheek a small lick.

"Ivypool…" She looked over at her mate.

"Yes?"

"What did I just say about teasing your sister?"

"But I didn't…" She looked over at her and Dovewing let out a small smile and waved a paw. "I didn't mean…"

"It's fine, really. Like I said before, I'm glad to see you both happy with each other." She assured her. "Hey, I think the Gathering's starting." The three now looked over towards the area where the four clan leaders were standing.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you all look healthy after our encounter with the Dark Forest." Bramblestar began. "As you can see from me talking, we lost Firestar in the battle, along with Mousefur, Ferncloud and Hollyleaf. They're with StarClan now." He let out a breath. "In my place as deputy, I assigned Squirrelflight to the position and also, I'm sure you all know about Lelouch and how he isn't from the forest. I've made him a warrior for ThunderClan for as long as he's in this world." All the cats turned to where the ThunderClan cats were and looked over at Lelouch, who simply gazed back at them all. Bramblestar then leaned his head over towards Mistystar. "Am I talking too much?" She let out a small giggle.

"You're doing fine. I'm sure you have one more thing to announce." She told him.

"Right." He turned his gaze back to the other cats, a faint blush on his face. "Along with Lelouch, ThunderClan also has another cat who isn't from this world. Sora, do you mind joining me here?" The other cats watched as the brown-furred cat joined the ThunderClan leader.

"Sora!" Two voices called out from the crowd. Sora looked in the direction of the voices and a big smile formed on his face. The two cats didn't wait for the command to come up to join their clans' respective leader. Both Riku and Kairi noticed each other as they headed over before joining up with Sora.

"Riku! Kairi! I'm glad that you're both safe! You both don't look that bad either." He told the two.

"Were you actually worried about us? Do you think we can't protect ourselves?" Riku responded, and Sora shook his head.

"Well, not you Riku, but Kai…"

"Hey! You know I can protect myself now too." Kairi told him before he mentioned her name. She looked over at Bramblestar, and bowed her head. "Sorry that we're talking a bit now." He shook his head.

"It's perfectly fine. I'm glad to see that Sora's finally found you both." After the three caught up with each other. Bramblestar continued. "Sora, Riku, Kairi, you three have been prophesized to protect the clans from some sort of impending evil. It's come to my attention that you each possess something called a Keyblade. Do you mind showing us?" The three nodded and each placed their paws forward. A shining light appeared below their paws and every cat looked in awe as Sora's Kingdom Key, Kairi's Destiny's Embrace, and Riku's Way to the Dawn appeared in front of them.

"Like Bramblestar said, these three were prophesized to protect the clans." Mistystar added. "They were told to be the key to the clans' survival and peace and well…I guess StarClan may have meant this literally if these are what keys look like."

"Also, I was told something else. Lelouch told me that he received something that may also be a part of the prophecy. He said that death, sadness, and hopelessness all happen when someone loses a heart. Sora has told me that this may mean that creatures known as Heartless might appear in the forest." Bramblestar added.

"Right. Do you three mind if I speak now?" Onestar asked, and the other three cats shook their heads. "Good. Bramblestar, this concerns you specifically."

"Have you found ThunderClan scents on your territory?" He asked, but Onestar shook his head.

"That's not it. It's about Sora. The prophecy says that these three are the key to the clans' survival and peace, but I feel that since you have Lelouch already, WindClan should be Sora's home for the time being." The crowd of cats gasped at the WindClan leader's statement. Sora looked over at Bramblestar but saw that he still kept a calm demeanor.

"Onestar, Sora was found on ThunderClan territory, so maybe StarClan sent him to us because there is a strong threat to ThunderClan." He responded.

"I understand, but giving him over to WindClan won't break the prophecy."

"Yes, but Lelouch doesn't have a Keyblade like these three do." Bramblestar then let out a small sigh. "However, you are not wrong in saying that he won't break the prophecy and each clan having one warrior that isn't from this world would help in protecting the Clans." His amber eyes now gazed over to Sora. "Sora, how do you feel about this?"

"You don't have to give Sora to WindClan." Onestar told him. "You can give Lelouch to us instead." Meows of protest came from the ThunderClan cats, but Bramblestar looked over at Lelouch as well and motioned his tail towards where he was to join the other three cats.

"Lelouch, are you okay with this?"

"I was also sent here to protect the Clans. If it comes to me going over to WindClan, so be it." He answered.

"C'mon, you really don't need to worry about that you two." Sora told them. "Sure, I'll stay with WindClan. Lelouch was in ThunderClan first after all, and you did make him a warrior. Besides, this gives me a chance to see more of this world." Bramblestar smiled at the brown cat's response.

"Just know that you'll always be welcome in ThunderClan." He told him.

"Right." Sora looked over at Onestar. "Do you mind if I say bye to everyone before I go?"

"Not at all. I'll send an escort with you to ThunderClan to guide you to WindClan."

"Okay then…Blackstar, any final words?" Mistystar asked, still a bit shocked at what had just transpired. The ShadowClan leader shook his head. "Well then, this Gathering shall come to an end. May StarClan guide us all safely home." All the cats began moving to say their goodbyes to each other. Lelouch, Sora, Riku, and Kairi all walked over to where the ThunderClan cats were. Onestar looked over at the ThunderClan leader. "I hope you're not mad at my request. I wasn't sure that you would react the way you would."

"Really? Did you think I'd lash out at you?" Bramblestar told him. "I don't want everyone thinking that ThunderClan is greedy for power, that's all there is to it." With that, Bramblestar walked over to his clanmates and saw that Sora was introducing his two friends to everyone.

"Oh, hey Bramblestar. Is it time to go now?" Sora asked.

"Are you done introducing Riku and Kairi to everyone?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"Great. I didn't want to cut your introduction short. Riku, Kairi, you should probably get back to your clans now." The two cats nodded and thanked the leader one more time before going to their respective clan.

"Lelouch…were you really ready to leave ThunderClan if you had to?" Dovewing asked him.

"Yes, but don't think it would have been easy for me." He responded. "How was Ivypool when I walked up there? Actually, where is she?"

"I'm not sure, but she was really worried…and so was I." She pressed her head on his chest, and he blushed a bit. Once she realized what she was doing, she quickly moved away. "Oh StarClan!" She looked around, but saw no sign of her sister. "Did she see anything?"

"I don't know, but she knows how you feel about me, and you both are sisters after all."

"I know but it still feels wrong."

"You know, maybe she's with the rest of the Clan." Lelouch told her, looking over and seeing the ThunderClan group making their way towards the fallen tree.

"We should get going."

"Wait you two!" They turned around to see Ivypool along with two other cats. One was a light tabby she-cat, and the other was a dark tabby tom. "Dovewing, you know Leaftail and Sedgewhisker, right?"

"Sort of."

"Well anyway, Onestar said these two would lead Sora back to WindClan."

"We promise that we'll make sure he's okay. He seems very full of energy." Sedgewhisker stated.

"Yeah. We're sorry about y'know…taking him from ThunderClan. None of us expected it." Leaftail apologized.

"It's okay. We already have a savior of our own anyway." Ivypool responded, pressing herself closer to Lelouch. "We should actually catch up to the rest of the clan." The others agreed and trailed behind the rest of the ThunderClan cats.

Riku stood over next to the ShadowClan cats, telling them more about his Keyblade and letting them see it up close. However, within the crowd he saw no sign of Tigerheart. He knew there were other cats near Blackstar, but Tigerheart wasn't there.

"Dawnpelt, do you know where your brother is?" He asked.

"Hm, let's see…" She looked around and then let out a sigh. "He's over there by himself again." Riku looked over to where he was and saw that he was sitting near the shore.

"I'll talk to you more about it later at camp, okay?" He told them, causing some of them to sigh. Once he broke away from the group he slowly approached Tigerheart. "Hey, is everything okay?" He sat down next to him and Tigerheart shook his head.

"She doesn't…love me anymore…" He spoke softly, Riku sensing every inch of sorrow and depression in his voice.

"Who, Dovewing? How can you tell?"

"Because she's in love with Lelouch…that stupid ThunderClan cat from another world…" Now a new emotion took over his voice as he stuck his claws into the grass below his paws. "I thought there was something between them but she didn't tell me directly…instead she lied to me!"

"How'd you figure out?"

"I saw how worried she was when he offered to leave to WindClan…and then afterwards I could see how affectionate she was towards him. Getting close to him…pressing her head onto his fur…" He got up and began walking away from the silver tom.

"Tigerheart, stop!" The tabby did, allowing Riku to catch up. "I know that you feel broken now, but maybe you can see now that it wouldn't work between you two. It's against the warrior code, isn't it? Your clan misses how you used to be, your sis—." Riku was stopped when Tigerheart quickly turned around and swung a paw towards Riku's face, scratching him below his right eye.

"You know nothing about me! You don't understand how much I love her, regardless of the stupid warrior code!" Riku placed a paw on his cut, noticing the fresh blood on his paw pads. "You're just like Lelouch; a cat from another world trying to ruin my life! Just leave me alone!" Tigerheart ran across the fallen tree towards ShadowClan territory, the rest of the clan watching the sudden interaction between the two.

"Riku!" Dawnpelt ran over to him and let out a small gasp when she saw the wound below his eye. "Does it hurt? Are you okay?" She gave his wound a few licks, causing him to blush a bit in embarrassment.

"I'm fine Dawnpelt." He assured her, moving his face away. "I'm worried about your brother. I don't think I can help him anymore. I'd just make him angry."

"What do you mean?"

"He still loves Dovewing. He said he saw her and Lelouch together. I tried to get the thought of her out of his head, but it only angered him. I'm sorry, Dawnpelt." She placed her tail around his shoulder.

"Don't be, you were just trying to help the way you thought was right. That's your purpose here, right?" She looked towards the tree bridge. "I just hope he's alright."

"We all do, Dawnpelt." Blackstar walked over towards the two. "Everyone, once we get back to ShadowClan, look around for Tigerheart. StarClan knows where he could be right now." Blackstar began walking towards the fallen tree bridge, and his clan followed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tigerheart ran through the forest lying inside ShadowClan territory. He wanted to get away from everyone so that they'd stop worrying about him and so that he could clear his mind of everything. He panted for his breath as he looked around. He didn't hear any pawsteps, but he did hear his sister calling his name from afar. _Why can't she understand that I just need to be left alone?_ He told himself, resting on the forest floor. _Why? Why didn't Dovewing tell me her and Lelouch were a couple? She didn't even come talk to me once at the Gathering…_ Tigerheart quickly turned around when he heard the rustling of a bush, but saw that it was only caused by the wind.

 _Do you seek revenge for what has happened to your heart?_

"Who said that?" Tigerheart demanded, looking around for the voice that he heard.

 _Your broken heart seeks retribution…an easy request that I can grant._ From around him, Tigerheart noticed pitch black puddles begin to form and up from them came black creatures with glowing yellow eyes.

"What are these things?" He got into a battle stance, ready to fend for his life.

 _Fear not Tigerheart, these are your allies. Like them you too are heartless. With my power, I can give you control over them, and I can give you what you desire._ Tigerheart looked at the Heartless around him one last time before relaxing into a sitting position.

"Deal. What is your name, anyway?"

 _You may call me Xehanort._ Tigerheart watched the Heartless disappear and watched the shadow below them increase in size. Suddenly, it shifted under him and he felt his body begin to sink into it.

"What the? Let me go!" He began struggling, trying his best to wriggle out of its grasp.

 _Do not fear the darkness, Tigerheart…_ Tigerheart took a breath and closed his eyes. The darkness began to form a sphere around him and he could feel the new energy begin to flow through his body. He let out an agonizing yowl of pain as the process continued, but no sound could be heard from outside the orb. He now began to struggle, but he continuously told himself to hold on until the process was complete. A few minutes later, the orb disappeared, the only thing it left behind being Tigerheart's fainted body.


	6. Chapter 5 Lost Heart

Chapter 5: Lost Heart

Sunlight shone through the warriors' den in ThunderClan. Lelouch let out a small groan and stretched his body as he woke up.

"Lelouch…watch where you're…stretching…" Ivypool told him, still asleep. The black tom apologized before carefully making his way out of the den. _Up early again?_ He thought as he saw that there was little activity inside of the camp. He saw Squirrelflight standing near the bottom of the leader's den and approached her.

"Up early again today?"

"Yeah. Are there any cats up ready for a hunting patrol?" He asked.

"Let's see…I sent Lionblaze, Brackenfur, Icecloud, Dovewing and Rosepetal out for border patrol. I think my sister might be able to go. She should be over in the medicine cat's den. I'll find more warriors while you're there."

"Great, thanks." Lelouch walked over to the medicine cat's den and Jayfeather's nose twitched once he was at the entrance.

"Hi Lelouch." Briarlight greeted him.

"Hey Briarlight, good morning. Did you get a good rest?"

"Yup. Hey, do you know when you can help me out with my exercises again?"

"I don't know. You should ask Jayfeather. I don't want him clawing my neck."

"Ha, ha, very funny." The medicine cat's blind gaze locked with Lelouch's. "What brings you here this morning anyway?"

"I came here for Leafpool." He looked over at the other cat in the den. "Squirrelflight was wondering if you could join me in the morning hunting patrol."

"Well if it's a request from my sister I can't really say no." She got up from helping to sort the medicinal herbs and followed Lelouch over to where Squirrelflight was. He saw that Cinderheart and Mousewhisker were standing beside her.

"Hey sis. I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with going out hunting. I know you're a former medicine cat and all, but I thought since Jayfeather's here you wouldn't mind." Squirrelflight told her.

"It's fine, really." She responded with a smile.

"Okay then. Be safe you four." Lelouch took the lead, and the other three followed behind. As they walked, they constantly looked around for any sudden movement along the grass.

"Wow, you're leading the group? You really feel at home here now, don't you?" Cinderheart told him.

"I guess so. If you want, you can take the lead." He insisted, but she shook her head.

"It's all yours." Cinderheart responded with a smile. "It's feels like just yesterday Lionblaze and the others brought you into ThunderClan. Now look at you. I'm glad you're with us, Lelouch."

"You're lucky Lionblaze or Ivypool isn't here." Leafpool joked, causing the gray tabby to blush. "She's right though; you really are one universal cat, Lelouch." Leafpool told him.

"What do you mean by that?" Mousewhisker asked.

"Well…every time I see him he's doing something around the clan, whether it's going out hunting, or helping the queens and if I'm not mistaken you're not asked to do any of this half the time, rather, it's you asking if it's okay." Lelouch's face grew hot with embarrassment at the she-cat's praise. It was true that he did it because he vowed to help the clan in any way he could, but when she said it, it made it seem like he took it a bit too literal.

"Right, I guess I have noticed that too." The tom realized.

"Anyway, we should get on track with what we're supposed to be doing." Lelouch told the three. "I think I scented some squirrel nearby." The others continued to follow the black cat and their hunting began.

The four decided to split up into two even groups: Lelouch went along with Leafpool, and Cinderpelt went hunting with Mousewhisker. Lelouch ended up catching the squirrel he sensed, along with two mice, and Leafpool managed to catch a blackbird.

"I think we should find the others now. I don't think I can carry any more prey at the moment."

"It looks like it. You're a really good hunter too, Lelouch." She commented and then looked down at her fresh-kill. "Is it true that you're going to have to leave the clan one day?"

"I'm sure that there's a possibility." He replied. "Is something wrong, Leafpool?"

"No, it's just that you really are a blessing to this clan. I'm glad that Lionblaze found you that day."

"You know, I seem to forget he's your son, along with Jayfeather. You all look pretty young, but it might be a cat thing." She let out a small giggle.

"Maybe. Does it work differently for Twolegs?"

"Yup…" From behind her, Lelouch saw a black creature come up from the shadow behind her. "Leafpool, watch out!" She turned around and got a quick glimpse of the monster before Lelouch leapt over her and struck it with a claw, causing it to disappear.

"What…was that?" She asked, still a bit frightened by what just happened.

"I'm not sure. We have to find the others and get back to the clan, right away!" The two picked up their fresh-kill and ran in search of Cinderheart and Mousewhisker. Lelouch heard a muffled sound from behind him and turned to see that Leafpool was trying to tell him that she caught scent of the two. He followed her and in a matter of time they bumped into the other two.

"Are you two okay? You were both running over to us like crazy." Mousewhisker told them.

"You two didn't see any sort of black creatures with yellow eyes, did you?" Leafpool asked.

"I…can't say that we have." Cinderheart replied.

"Well we did. We need to go back to camp and tell Bramblestar right away." Lelouch informed the two. They all picked up their fresh-kill and made their way back to ThunderClan. Once they were there, they dropped off their catches in the fresh-kill pile.

"Hi Lelouch. Out hunting again?" Ivypool asked when she saw him.

"Hey. I can't talk right now. I have to talk with Bramblestar."

"Oh…okay then..." She responded, her voice sounding a bit crestfallen.

"I don't think she liked that." Cinderheart told him.

"I think she understands. Besides, I'll explain everything to her once I'm done." Lelouch replied. "You and Mousewhisker don't need to come. You can explain to the others what we told you." The two nodded and began walking around the camp. "Leafpool, do you mind joining me to tell Bramblestar about what we saw?" She shook her head and the two headed up to the leader's den.

"Lelouch, Leafpool, what can I help you with?" He asked once he saw them walk up towards the entrance to his den.

"While we were hunting we both saw a strange black creature with glowing yellow eyes. It came from the shadows and almost attacked Leafpool." He explained.

"Leafpool, are you okay?" The leader asked.

"I'm fine. Lelouch was there to attack it, but once he did it just…disappeared…"

"Wait…it came from the shadows?" _The Heartless…that's what Sora was talking about!_ "They must be the Heartless that I mentioned last night. He didn't go into detail about what they could do, but like their name states, they don't have hearts. It would be best to make sure we keep away from them as much as we can."

"But…If they reside in the shadows…none of us can really be safe." Leafpool added. "Do you think they're only in ThunderClan territory?"

"I think it's a possibility since we've lost Sora and he has a Keyblade, but at the same time, you saw how quick I was able to make it disappear." Lelouch assured her. "However, is it just because I was said to be a savior to the clans?"

"I think you might be thinking about it too much, Lelouch. Your gift is Geass." Bramblestar told him. "It's good to know that we can defeat them, though." He stood up from his nest. "You both should join the clan outside. I'll have to tell them about the Heartless as well." They both nodded and headed down from the den to join the others below it. Once Bramblestar called everyone out for a clan meeting, he informed them all of the new threat in the forest and made it imperative that no cat go out on their own without a few warriors with them. Once the meeting was over, Lelouch looked around for Ivypool. Once he saw her, he walked over. She looked over at him and then looked away.

"Ivypool…are you really mad about what happened when I got back?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

"It's not that. You know what it is, though." She responded, Lelouch sensing a small bit of anger in her voice.

"I really don't know what you're getting at."

"Really? So you and my sister weren't getting too close to each other at the end of the Gathering?" She told him, causing him to sigh. "Were you not going to tell me if I didn't see it happen?"

"What's gotten into you? A few days ago you and her were joking about this all and now you're mad about it?"

"Things change, Lelouch. She once accused me of stealing Tigerheart from her…and now I just…" She let out a growl of irritation. "…I feel like you love her more than me…"

"Ivypool, that's not true, and you know it." He told her, placing his tail on her shoulder. "I love you, Ivypool, and I wouldn't be with you if that wasn't the case. Your sister was just as worried as you were when I offered to leave to WindClan and…well you saw what she did." She looked up at him, but turned her gaze away.

"I'm sorry that I'm acting stupid right now, Lelouch." She apologized, and he responded by giving her a small lick on the cheek.

"It's okay. I understand that you don't want me being with any other cat, and I promise you that I won't."

"I really didn't mean that stuff about Dovewing. I know she accused me before, but I know she'd never try to steal you from me." She pressed her head onto his chestfur and Lelouch could hear a soft comforting purr from her. "I _was_ a bit mad at you when you got back, but I figured it was something important."

"It really was. From now on Ivypool, we stick together when we're out of the camp. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Really? I'm sure all the Dark Forest training I've done should keep me safe…unless you don't think I can take care of myself. I'm sure I'll be the one protecting _you_." She let out a sly smile.

"Regardless, we all need to be careful. We don't know much about the enemy now that Sora's gone." _Let's hope that we can find the source of the Heartless soon. Once we find that, everything should fall into place from there._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Tigerheart! Where are you?" Dawnpelt called out as she, Riku, Snowbird, and Ferretclaw walked around the forests of ShadowClan in search of her missing brother. "I can't believe him…he's really being stupid right now." She told the others, anger in her meow.

"Maybe I should've just not have helped. Usually when I go to different worlds I'm not supposed to meddle around with any of the locals." Riku said.

"Riku, you blamed yourself last night too, and I told you that you were just trying to help, and I know that." She assured him. "He's just going through a lot."

"She's right, y'know. He was like this before you got here, and he's only worse because he doesn't want to listen to reason. If anything it's his own fault for being like this." Snowbird added.

"Whoa, you do know Dawnpelt's right here, right?" Ferretclaw told her, feeling a bit wary about his clanmate's own words.

"She's right though, isn't she?" The cream-furred cat said. "You would think I would blame Dovewing, but it really is all just Tigerheart making it worse. I know that he loves her, but it just wasn't meant to be. They're from different clans after all."

"Speaking of Dovewing, there she is over there." Ferretclaw pointed over to the other side of the Twolegpath and saw Dovewing, along with some other ThunderClan cats.

"Dovewing!" Dawnpelt called out, and it caused the ThunderClan cats to turn and look at the group.

"Oh, hi Dawnpelt. Are you all on border patrol as well?" She asked.

"Not really. Do you all mind coming over here? It's safer if we speak inside the forest." The ThunderClan cats looked at each other, wary of the offer.

"They have Riku with them. I don't think they mean any harm." Lionblaze told them. The five warriors crossed the Twolegpath and joined the ShadowClan cats on their territory. "So, what's wrong?"

"Last night, Tigerheart ran off after the Gathering." The ShadowClan cat explained.

"Well you've asked the right cat." Lionblaze looked over at Dovewing, who seemed a bit flustered. "Why'd he run off anyway?"

"I tried talking with him." Riku said. "Dovewing…he really loves you."

"I know he does, but it's not meant to be."

"I understand, but he told me that he saw you and Lelouch together last night. Is there something between you two?"

"Oh no…" Dovewing could feel her fur become hot, and her heartbeat slowly began to increase.

"There's nothing between them, but Lelouch and Ivypool, her sister, are mates." Rosepetal answered. "Dovewing, what did you and Lelouch do?" Now both ShadowClan and ThunderClan eyes were on her.

"After he came down from where the leaders were we talked and I got too close to him, but I realized it and moved away. I was just…worried that he could've gone to WindClan." She clarified. "I should've known Tigerheart was watching me."

"Great, so now it's just a misunderstanding on his part." Dawnpelt let out a sigh. "He hit you for nothing." She looked over at Riku's injury under his eye.

"Dawnpelt…Riku…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She apologized, but she shook her head.

"It's okay, really. Just try to look out for him, okay? We have no idea where he is."

"We'll come over to ShadowClan if we do." Lionblaze assured her. "We should get going now." He told the others.

"Dovewing!" As the ThunderClan cats were walking, Riku called her name, and she turned around. "Be careful. Tigerheart thinks that you lied to him, so there's no telling what he'll do if he sees you." She nodded, and the ThunderClan cats walked back to their territory. "Let's hope we can see RiverClan cats on patrol. If not, I'm sure Blackstar will let me relay the message over to Kairi and she can tell Sora."

"I'm sure he will. We are trying to find a ShadowClan cat after all." Snowbird said.

"Riku?" He turned around to look over at Dawnpelt. "Do you think that Tigerheart's changed? Is that why you warned Dovewing?"

"I do. I'm not sure what state his heart's in now, but let's hope that there's still a glimmer of light somewhere in there. It'll be enough to conquer the darkness inside of him."

"What's that?!" Ferretclaw exclaimed, causing Riku to turn his head towards his direction. He saw that from the shadows in the forest, a group of Heartless began to rise up.

"Heartless!" Riku quickly summoned his Way to the Dawn and charged towards them. With his Keyblade between his jaws, he cut through them with ease. Once he defeated them, he looked around for a bit, scanning the area for any more Heartless. Once they were gone, his Keyblade disappeared and he walked over to the three. "Remember the creatures Bramblestar mentioned yesterday? That's what they look like." He explained. "This isn't good…"

"Well that seemed a bit obvious." Snowbird said. "You looked great out there though."

"Thanks. It's my first time using my Keyblade in this form. I'll need to practice." He responded. "Dawnpelt…I'm not entirely sure…but I think the Heartless are here because of Tigerheart." She let out a small gasp, and a sudden coldness ran through her fur.

"What?"

"I know it's hard to believe…but they're either after him…or he's the one creating them."

"Creating them?" Ferretclaw gave him a puzzled look.

"It's possible that he's accepted the darkness…much like I did before…" He told them, turning his gaze away for a moment, and then looking at the three. "If this is the case, Tigerheart now possesses new strength and powers…but we still are able to save him."

"But we need to find out where he is first." Dawnpelt said. "Let's get going to the camp."

When the four cats returned to camp, Rowanclaw walked over to them. He asked them if they were done patrolling the territory, but Riku explained that what they found was too important to just come back after they finished.

"Very well, go see Blackstar you four." He told them. "Dawnpelt, we'll find your brother, I promise."

"I know we will." She told her father. They walked over to the leader's den and Blackstar gazed at them.

"Did you find Tigerheart?"

"No, but we found something equally as important." Riku began. "The Heartless that Bramblestar mentioned at the Gathering have finally appeared."

"I see. Maybe this is the beginning of your prophecy, Riku."

"Yes, but there's more to this all. It's possible that Tigerheart is the reason the Heartless are here. It's either that they're after him, or he's the one summoning them."

"What? How can he be the cause of them?"

"His heart may have fallen into the darkness." Riku explained, but then let out a small gasp. "Death, sadness, hopelessness; all happen when someone loses a heart…Could this part of the prophecy be talking about Tigerheart?"

"Oh StarClan…" Dawnpelt softly spoke. "Are you saying that he might be dead?"

"No, but he can be the cause of death. It's imperative that we find him as soon as we can."

"Then what about when you find him? I assume a little chat won't do any good." Blackstar stated.

"You're right. If anyone finds him, they have to be careful. Only Sora, Kairi, and I, and maybe even Lelouch, should approach him. Who knows what power he may possess."

"Are you going to fight him if you find him?" Snowbird asked.

"Yeah. The Keyblade has the power to unlock the darkness in a cat's heart and release it. Once that happens he'll be back to his normal self, but for now, we need to find him." Blackstar stood up from his nest.

"Very well. I shall tell the rest of the clan about this." As he headed over to the exit, Riku called out his name.

"Blackstar, can I go over to RiverClan and WindClan to warn them?" Riku asked.

"I understand your concern, but without you here, ShadowClan is left defenseless. Do you know if we can fight the Heartless?" Riku shook his head. "Until we figure that out, you must stay in ShadowClan, understand?"

"Yes, Blackstar." _Let's hope Sora and Kairi find everything out soon. ThunderClan knows that Tigerheart is missing, but don't know about the Heartless. They have Lelouch, but is he enough to fight them off, let alone fight Tigerheart if he attacks?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey furball, are you going to wake up soon, or what?" Sora slowly opened his eyes and saw that a light brown tabby she-cat stood over him. "Good morning. Ready for your WindClan tour?" She asked. Sora looked around and almost forgot that he was in WindClan. _That's right, this is my home for the time being._

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but I don't think I know your name."

"Oh StarClan, that's probably what I should've told you first. I'm Heathertail." She greeted.

"It's nice to meet you, Heathertail. I'm pretty sure you know who I am already." He told her, and she nodded.

"Yup. Now c'mon, Leaftail and Sedgewhisker are waiting for us!" Sora smiled and followed behind the she-cat. They reached the exit to the camp where the two other WindClan warriors were waiting for them. Once they saw him, they both greeted him with smiles.

"How was your sleep?" Leaftail asked.

"Really well. I would never think these nests would be comfortable, but they're like any other good bed." He told them. "So, are we just walking through territory today?"

"Yup. Onestar thinks it's important that you know our borders for as long as you're here." Sedgewhisker told her.

"Well, I've been to your border with ThunderClan already. They took me on border patrol yesterday actually."

"Alright then, we'll go check out our border with RiverClan first." Leaftail stated. "Your friend Kairi's there, isn't she?" He nodded his head. "Maybe we might see her. Whether it's border patrol or hunting, we're pretty close to them."

"Yeah, but we can't really overstay all the time. Too much Twoleg activity." Heathertail added. "Besides, I'm pretty sure while you're not protecting us you can go over to visit her."

"As much as I'd like that, I don't think I should leave WindClan. There's no telling when the Heartless might come." He replied. "Actually, do you three mind if I practice using my Keyblade once we're done going through all of your territory?"

"Of course not! When I saw it yesterday, I wanted to see it in action!" Heathertail told him, receiving strange looks from the other two, causing her to blush. "Sorry, I may have gotten a bit too excited."

"Despite her excitement, she does have a point. I'm interested to see what you can do with it." Leaftail added.

"Awesome! Now, let's get going."

The four cats reached the WindClan border with RiverClan, passing by the Horseplace along the way. Luckily, there were no Twolegs out, so they were in no rush walking past it.

"There's that river smell, but it's a bit faint. This is where the border is, right?" Sora asked the other three, who confirmed his guess. "So, neither you nor RiverClan own this marsh area?"

"Nope. It's pretty much worthless. The reason their scent is faint is because their scent marker is all the way on the other side of the marsh." Sedgewhisker explained. "We should get to our border with ThunderClan now so you have more time to train." She took the lead, and the three followed. Once they made it to the stream that divided ThunderClan and WindClan, Sora walked over to it and got a quick drink of water.

"Sorry, all this walking can be tiring sometimes."

"It is a bit of a long walk if you're not expecting it." Leaftail said. "So, now that you're refreshed, are you ready to train with your Keyblade?"

"Yeah, are you?" Heathertail further asked, causing Sora to let out a small laugh.

"Alright. Y'know you're all lucky because you'll be the first cats to see me use it. No cat in ThunderClan has even seen me using it, but I guess that's because I never mentioned it until the night of the Gathering." Sora placed a paw out in front of him and his Keyblade appeared. He picked it up and wasted no time in beginning his practice. The WindClan cats looked in awe at his swift, yet precise, movements, as well as how high he was able to jump at times.

"Thank StarClan we have a cat from another world now. I'm sure no enemy stands a chance between us now." Heathertail stated in joy.

"Really? Are you doubting your own clan's strength?" Leaftail asked her.

"What? N-not at all! I just mean that Sora is able to protect us from that threat he was prophesized to save us from."

"He's just kidding, Heathertail." Sedgewhisker said with a small laugh. "But you're right. We've never seen the Heartless before, but Sora has. I know we have him now, but that leaves ThunderClan without a Keyblade wielder who knows a lot about them."

"They have Lelouch, don't they?" Heathertail added.

"Yeah, but what if these Heartless can only be defeated by Sora and his friends?" Leaftail responded. "Sora, is that the case?" He placed his Keyblade on the ground.

"In a way, it's both. I'm sure you all can fight them, but Riku, Kairi and I are the only ones who can free hearts corrupted by darkness." He informed them. _Death, sadness, hopelessness; all happen when someone loses a heart. I get what it's saying, but what does it really mean?_ He looked at the three cats in front of him. _ThunderClan and WindClan both seem peaceful…so is the danger in ShadowClan or RiverClan?_ Suddenly, Sora's ears pricked up, and his nose twitched. He looked around the area carefully until he looked under the three cats. "Move!" The three cats jumped out of the way and saw Sora pick up his Keyblade.

"What's going on?" Heathertail asked. The three watched as a shadow formed where they were just standing and a group of Heartless rose from them. "Those are…"

"Heartless." Sora answered, his voice muffled by his Keyblade. They all began to move towards him, and he quickly dashed forward. He would quickly attack one with ease, and then move onto the others. He saw that there was one left, and when he ran towards it, it sunk into the ground and moved towards the other cats. "One of you attack it once it comes back up!" The three looked at each other wondering who would do it. Once it rose from the shadow where it was hiding, Heathertail leaped towards it and with one quick slash of her claws, the Heartless disappeared. "Nice job!" Sora ran over to the she-cat and gave her a friendly pat with a paw, causing her to blush.

"It was nothing, really. Actually, I can't believe that you need a Keyblade for those little guys." She responded, causing him to let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, those are the basic form of Heartless. It's good to know that normal cats can fight them with ease though. That takes a load off of my back." He began pacing around, thinking about how they appeared. "It's not uncommon for Heartless like those Shadows to appear like that…but there has to be a source for them."

"Source? So is there a cat out there controlling them?" Sedgewhisker said. "Who would want to attack WindClan?"

"Maybe they're after Sora. He has seen them before, after all." Heathertail suggested.

"So Onestar wanted a cat with monsters coming after him?" Leaftail responded.

"Well, I mean what I said was a maybe, and even if they were, they just appeared today because no clan reported them last night."

"What's the point of playing the blame game now? All that matters is that there's a new threat in the forest and we have to warn WindClan about it." Sedgewhisker told them and Sora nodded his head in agreement.

"She's right. We should get back to camp and tell everyone."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Are you sure you're not a RiverClan cat back in your world? You're catching so much fish!" Minnowtail told her in awe, watching how Kairi caught fish out of the stream with ease.

"I did go fishing sometimes, but not like this." She responded, looking at the pile of fish she had. "Maybe I should stop now. I don't think we could carry any more."

"Yeah, and you'd probably catch all the fish in the stream if you kept going." Petalfur added with a small laugh.

"Honestly, she's a better fisher than all of us." Grasspelt stated, letting out a sigh as a fish escaped his grasp. "I guess all cats from other worlds catch on quick or something?" He then shot a sly smile at his sister. "Petalfur, how was seeing Lelouch yesterday? I saw him look at you." His sister stumbled forward, failing into the stream. She quickly swam back to shore and walked over to her brother before shaking all the water off of her fur.

"You really know how to ask to get your fur clawed off, don't you?" She gave him an angered glare, but then it changed into a devious smile. "You really shouldn't be teasing me, especially since I know something you think I don't."

"Really? Try me."

"You don't know what you're asking for. Oh Kairi?" Grasspelt's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Yesterday at the Gathering I heard Grasspelt talking about you with some cats from ShadowClan and WindClan." She was tackled by her brother. "Are you kidding me?"

"Don't say another word, please!" He begged, but Kairi was already walking over to the two siblings.

"Really now? What were you talking about?" She asked, a sly smile on her face.

"I don't think I have to say anymore." Petalfur told him, wriggling her way out of his grasp. "She already knows, so just tell her." Grasspelt looked over at her, a small blush forming on his face.

"What are we witnessing?" Minnowtail asked Pebblefoot.

"I have no idea, but I think Grasspelt's in trouble."

"So…what did you tell those cats last night?" Kairi asked him.

"I…I told them how nice you were! I swear!" She smiled, but it left her face quickly once she saw something behind him. "Is something…"

"Grasspelt, move!" She summoned her Keyblade and he jumped out of the way. The cats all looked to where Kairi's eyes were locked to and saw a puddle of darkness move closer to her until finally, Shadows rose from them.

"What in the name of StarClan are those things?" Minnowtail wondered, but Kairi wasted no time in swiftly slashing her Keyblade through the Heartless. They watched her swift movements as they saw her use her weapon for the first time. Once every Heartless was defeated, she turned her head to get the fur out of her eyes and looked over at the others.

"That was…awesome, to say the least." Pebblefoot stated.

"It really was, wasn't it, Grasspelt." Petalfur looked over at her brother and saw that he was still looking at the she-cat in awe. "And he teases me for infatuated."

"To answer your question, Minnowtail, those were Heartless." She walked over to her pile of fish and picked up as much as she could. "We should get back to camp and tell Mistystar." The others picked up the rest of their prey and headed back to camp. When they arrived, they dropped their prey off on the fresh-kill pile and Kairi headed over to Mistystar's den.

"Kairi, how was your first day out fishing?" The leader asked her with a smile.

"It was really well, until the others and I encountered some Heartless."

"So the threat that Bramblestar mentioned has finally arrived…" A look of concern now filled her face. "Are the others you were with okay?" Kairi nodded her head. "Looks like you're a real savior for RiverClan after all. Is there anything else you know about the Heartless?"

"If I was Sora or Riku, maybe." She responded, her voice filled with a bit of sorrow. She didn't want to feel sad about it, but out of the three of them, she was the least viable in terms of information as well as fighting. "Regardless, I know the amount of harm they're able to cause. I'm not sure where they're coming from, but…" The two heard the sound of pawsteps at the entrance to the leader's den and saw that it was Reedwhisker.

"Mistystar, it's Snowbird from ShadowClan. She says there's an urgent message for you." Snowbird walked inside of the den and greeted the leader with a bow.

"Hello, Snowbird. What brings you to RiverClan?"

"It's about the Heartless. Riku would be here, but Blackstar refrained him from going anywhere until we figured out if normal cats were able to fight them." She answered.

"Riku encountered the Heartless as well?" Kairi stated, and the ShadowClan cat nodded. "So it's not just around RiverClan…"

"Kairi has told me that she has seen the Heartless here as well, but she's not sure where they're coming from."

"That I can answer." She told them. The two cats now focused their attention on the snow white she-cat. "The other day, right after the Gathering, Tigerheart ran away due to a misunderstanding of a situation, one regarding love. Riku thinks that it's possible that Tigerheart's the source of the Heartless arriving in the forest."

"A clan cat? How is that possible?"

"A broken heart…" Kairi softly spoke. "Tigerheart's given himself up to the darkness…much like Riku did before. He can summon Heartless to his will."

"But then why are they after RiverClan? What have we done for him to have a quarrel with us?"

"The same goes for his own clan." Snowbird added. "Anyway, just make sure to look out for Tigerheart. StarClan knows where he could be right now."

"Thank you, Snowbird. Kairi, do you mind escorting Snowbird back to ShadowClan?" Mistystar asked.

"But what if the Heartless invade the camp?"

"I'm sure one cat deserves more protection from the evil out there than a whole clan. We'll be fine." She assured her. Kairi nodded and took the lead, Snowbird following right behind her. They walked for a bit, neither of the two saying a word until Kairi decided to break the silence.

"How's Riku doing?"

"What? Oh, he's okay. He's been really keen on defending the clan and finding Tigerheart altogether. I don't think he's gotten a rest today at all." She replied. "I'm a bit worried about him, but at the same time, I'm sure he knows his limits." Both of their ears pricked up and they looked over to their left and saw dark clouds forming in the sky. "Looks like there's going to be a bit of a storm coming tonight."

"Let's hope it's not too drastic."

"Right? We already have enough trouble as is." Kairi agreed with a small laugh. "How about you, Kairi? How are you adjusting to life in this world?"

"I really like it here. Everyone's really kind and easy to get along with." She responded. "I'm just worried about Tigerheart now. I've never met him, but if he is the cause of this all, he must really be in a lot of pain now. His heart's too broken to realize the mistake in accepting the power of darkness." The two approached the Halfbridge that marked the separation between RiverClan and ShadowClan. "I'll make sure to tell your clan about anything that might come up, okay?"

"Right. I know that ShadowClan, especially Tigerheart's sister, appreciates it." She responded with a smile. "Hope to see you soon, Kairi. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Riku wanted me to tell you to tell Sora about Tigerheart. WindClan's the only clan that's unaware of it all."

"I'll make sure that he knows." She replied. "Stay safe Snowbird, okay?" The white she-cat nodded before making her way back to her clan. _A broken heart is the cause of the Heartless being here? The suffering of one can bring suffering to others. I hope that we can find Tigerheart soon and bring him back into the light._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lighting crackled through the sky, rain slowly dropping down towards the forest floor. The distant storm had arrived that night, although luckily it wasn't too strong. In ThunderClan, every cat was ready to go to sleep amid the storm. Lelouch slept in his usual spot around Ivypool, Lionblaze, Cinderheart, and Dovewing. The dawn patrol brought the news that Tigerheart was now missing and just before the storm Ferretclaw from ShadowClan told them that he might be the source of the Heartless that Lelouch and Leafpool encountered in the morning.

"I can't believe that Tigerheart's missing…let alone the source of the Heartless…" Dovewing said, pain in her voice. "This is my fault, there's no doubt about it. Cats in all clans might die because of me!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Dovewing." Lelouch told her, placing his tail on her shoulder to comfort her, but she brushed it away.

"You're the last cat I want to be comforted by." She rudely told him, causing the others to look over at her. He let out a sigh and looked over at Ivypool.

"Just give her some time. She's just being moody."

"I guess it runs in the family then? Weren't you acting like that towards Lelouch this morning?" Cinderheart told her with a small smile, causing her to blush.

"Well…yeah, but...forget it."

"Ivypool's right though; you shouldn't worry about Dovewing, Lelouch. She'll be back to liking you again eventually." Lionblaze whispered.

"But that's not what I'm worried about. She's blaming it all on herself." He responded.

"Just give it a night's rest, okay?" Cinderheart assured him, and he nodded. After moving a bit to get comfortable, the cats fell asleep, the soothing sound of rain aiding their slumber.

Dovewing slowly opened her green eyes in the middle of the night. She looked around to see if any cat was awake, but they were all sound asleep. She saw that her sister's tail was lying on her shoulder as a way to comfort her, but she scoffed at the act before meticulously moving it aside. She then slowly got up and walked out into the rain. _I have to find Tigerheart and explain everything._ Her paws softly touched the ground and puddles below them as she sneaked out of the camp and made her way into the forest. As she was walking she had her first encounter with the Heartless. She watched them rise from the ground in a pack and move towards her. She unsheathed her claws and leaped towards them, receiving minimal scratches from them before defeating them.

"So…those were the Heartless?" She then watched as another dark puddle formed in front of her and more of the creatures rose from the ground. "More of them? I don't have time for this!" She rushed past them and looked behind her as the group of Shadows followed and more rose after them. She broke through a row of bushes and saw that she was now standing on the clearing in ThunderClan. She looked behind her and saw that the Shadows were now gone. _I guess I lost them…wait…_ She shook the rain out of her pelt before looking forward and seeing a dark figure. She saw a brown tabby pelt and her eyes gleamed with joy. "Tigerheart!" She ran over to him, but stopped when he turned around. He now had a small silver tuft of fur on his head and his amber eyes glowed brightly. "What…happened to you?"

"You should know what's happened. This power…I could never have achieved it if it wasn't for you."

"What do you mean?" Tigerheart disappeared from her view and suddenly appeared in front of her.

"You know what I mean, my dear, Dovewing." He placed a paw under her chin, lifting her head up so that her eyes locked onto his. "I'm quite surprised that you've snuck out of ThunderClan knowing that the Heartless are out."

"You're the one summoning them…right?"

"Yes. It's because of you that I can. I've given my heart up to the darkness, can't you see?" Dovewing moved her head away from under his paw.

"This is wrong, Tigerheart! The Heartless can hurt cats from all the clans!"

"Wrong? You don't deserve to tell me what is and isn't wrong!" He yelled. "You, of all cats, the one who I loved…lied to me. Why Dovewing? Answer me!"

"I didn't…lie to you, Tigerheart…it's all a misunderstanding, that's all!" She retorted, her tears mixing with the rain from above.

"Spare me your excuses! You just can stop lying, can you?" He lifted a paw up, causing another group of Shadows to rise and form around her. "If you really love me, then join me, Dovewing." He placed a paw out towards her. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"N-no…I won't do it. Tigerheart, this isn't like you! The cat in front of me…isn't the one that I fell in love with and you know it!" She spat. He let out a gasp, and Dovewing watched as the Heartless disappeared.

"Okay then…I guess there's no persuading you…" A dark aura surrounded his paws and Dovewing watched as the dark tabby disappeared.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Lelouch, Lelouch wake up!" The black cat slowly opened his eyes and saw that Spottedleaf now stood in front of him, her body faded.

"Spottedleaf, what are you doing here?"

"You have to run to the clearing in the forest, now!" She commanded. He looked around him and saw that the others were fast asleep, but he noticed that Dovewing wasn't there.

"Where's Dovewing?"

"She needs your help, right now! Don't wake up any other cats, just get there as fast as you can!" The worried tone in her voice was enough for Lelouch to get out of the camp and make his way towards the clearing. He encountered Shadows along the way but quickly defeated them with ease. The storm's intensity suddenly increased, a flash of lightning illuminating the sky.

"She went out to find Tigerheart, didn't she?" He asked her.

"Yes. Lelouch this isn't the time for questions, you have to get there!" She responded. His coat was now soaked with rain, but he still continued his run towards the clearing. He saw pawsteps leading to it and quickly made his way through the bushes. Another shot of lightning struck in the sky and Lelouch saw Dovewing's body lying at the center of the clearing. He ran over to her and saw blood spilled on the grass next to her, but no sort of wound. "Oh no…"

"Dovewing, Dovewing!?" He shook her body, but there was no reaction. He looked around but saw no sign of Tigerheart, who was the obvious assailant. "Spottedleaf where is he!?" He yelled at his companion, but she shook her head.

"He was here, but I don't know where he went." Lelouch pressed his head near Dovewing's chest to look for a heartbeat, but he couldn't find one.

"This is her blood, isn't it?" He asked her. "Spottedleaf, you're a medicine cat! Tell me what I need to do to help her!"

"It is her blood…and she doesn't have a heartbeat…and there's no visible wound either… Lelouch, I've never seen anything like this." He continued to shake her body, but there was still no response. "This must be it then." Lelouch looked over at his spirit companion. "There is something that I know…she isn't dead. This is due to one of the powers Tigerheart has."

"How do you know?"

"The cats in StarClan have been given another prophecy, this one regarding Tigerheart. Sora, Riku, and Kairi know more about this power than they do."

"What is it? Tell me, please!"

"The reason Dovewing has no pulse or heartbeat…is because he stole her heart."


	7. Chapter 6: Light's Saviors

Chapter 6: Light's Saviors

 _"_ _Stole her heart? What_ does that mean?" The violet-eyed cat asked Spottedleaf.

"It's exactly how it sounds. With the power of darkness, Tigerheart has the ability to take a cat's heart. Her body is intact…but without a heart…"

"She's just an empty cat…" Spottedleaf nodded her head. Lelouch let out a growl and hit the ground with a paw, water splashing high into the air. "I'm going to kill him! I need to get her heart back!"

"Lelouch, calm down." She urged him.

"Calm down? There's no time for that!" Rage filled his voice.

"You can't fight him on your own. Right now your anger is controlling you. If you let it, you're no better than he is." Although she was with him in spirit, Lelouch could feel her body press close to his and he could smell the sweet aroma she always carried with her. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise." She consoled him for a bit, and smiled when he exhaled.

"Sorry, Spottedleaf." He apologized. "Wait…if her heart was taken…why isn't she a Heartless?"

"That I cannot answer. You'll see Sora, Riku, or Kairi soon, especially after what just occurred." She answered. "You should get her back to the camp. You'll catch Whitecough if you stay out in this weather."

"I guess that's what the cats call a cold, huh?" He said as he picked up Dovewing's body and placed it on his back. He then made his way to the camp, the storm maintaining its intensity. "Spottedleaf, do you think it's possible that Tigerheart's the cause of this storm?"

"I can't say for certain. It is Greenleaf right now, so storms are possible to occur." She responded. "It could be a sign from StarClan for all we know."

"Well then, wouldn't you know?" He responded with a small laugh, but his smile easily left his face. "Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that it's bad to be out in this weather." Lelouch stopped and sniffed the air. "There's a cat nearby…from ThunderClan."

"Lelouch? Dovewing?" _That's Ivypool!_ Lelouch realized.

"Ivypool! I'm here!" He responded loudly against the storm so she could sense him. She followed the sound of his voice along with his scent and once she found him she smiled, but then let out a gasp when she saw her sister's unconscious body. "What happened to Dovewing?"

"I'll tell you as we walk back to camp. We'll get sick if we stay out here." He told her. She looked over as her sister's body, and then shifted her gaze over to him before nodding her head and beginning their walk back to ThunderClan. "Did you get attacked by any Heartless while you were out?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't an issue. They're a lot weaker than I thought." She responded. "What happened to her, Lelouch? She isn't…dead, is she?"

"No, she isn't." Ivypool let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank StarClan."

"Ivypool, what happened to Dovewing…was caused by Tigerheart."

"Tigerheart did this to her?" She stopped walking and turned her head down to the ground. "I'll kill him…that fox-hearted tom! Why doesn't he understand that it's natural for her to like you?" She spat. Lelouch looked around and saw that they were surrounded by a small swarm of Heartless. He put Dovewing down before tapping Ivypool with his tail to get her attention. "Just our luck…" The two stood back-to-back and they ran towards the Heartless on their corresponding sides. Ivypool utilized most of her moves learned in the Dark Forest and defeated her group with ease. She looked over to where Lelouch was and saw that he was still fighting. She saw one Shadow approaching him from behind and leaped on it with her claws unsheathed, killing it in one blow. She watched him fight off the rest and saw that he was injure-free. "You should watch your back next time."

"Right, thanks. Help me out with her?" He asked, and the two worked together now to carry Dovewing back to the camp. "Ivypool, you have to control your anger. You'll be blinded by rage, just like Tigerheart." She told her, much like Spottedleaf did to him.

"You're right…sorry about that." She apologized. "To be fair, you were the one needing help just now. So much for telling me to be careful going out by myself." She bumped into him teasingly. "Back to being serious now. What did Tigerheart to do her? Is he actually the one controlling the Heartless?"

"From what I've been told, he is." He responded. "Tigerheart attacked Dovewing…and he took her heart." Ivypool's shimmering blue eyes went wide.

"He…took her heart? How do you know?" She asked. He continued walking, but didn't answer. _Spottedleaf, am I allowed to tell her about you? I know I told Jayfeather and Bramblestar…_

 _It's okay if she knows. She is your mate, isn't she?_ She responded with a small giggle.

"Well?"

"It's because Spottedleaf told me."

"Spottedleaf told you? Didn't she die during the battle with the Dark Forest?" He nodded.

"She did, but apparently she was given another chance and is now a guide for me in this world."

"Really? That's awesome! Can you tell her that I said hi and thanks for watching over you?"

"She heard, don't worry." He assured her with a smile. "She told me that the cats in StarClan were given a prophecy about Tigerheart's power, and apparently it's linked to him being able to take the heart of cats."

"But…you said she isn't dead." She looked over her shoulder at the face of her unconscious sister. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

"I'm not. Right now Dovewing's just an empty cat. Spottedleaf told me that Sora, Riku, and Kairi know more about the power. That, along with summoning the Heartless is possible because he accepted the power of darkness and it has taken over him, much like Riku hypothesized."

"I believe you, but…without a heart that's technically what she is now." She responded. "Do you think that…maybe there's still some light inside of his heart that we can get him back to normal?"

"There has to be. He still loves her. He would have killed her if that wasn't the case."

The two got back to camp and saw that everyone was still fast asleep. They walked over to the medicine cat's den and carefully placed Dovewing on an empty bed of moss. Lelouch shook Jayfeather's body and saw his blind blue eyes slowly open.

"Lelouch, what do you want? I was just having a dream with StarClan." He told him in his usual bitter tone.

"It's Dovewing. She walked out and encountered Tigerheart. I went out once I realized she was gone and found her lying in the clearing. Spottedleaf told me that her heart was stolen."

"That must be what Yellowfang was telling me about before you woke me."

"Jayfeather, drop the attitude for once, okay?" Ivypool told him, causing him to scoff. "What did Yellowfang tell you exactly?"

"She told me that the darkness has the power to steal what is precious to us. That darkness lies in the shadows until its time to hunt is right." He informed them. "With what you've told me I'm guessing that what is precious to us is our hearts and the darkness is the Heartless and Tigerheart himself."

"I agree. Spottedleaf told me that Sora, Riku, and Kairi know more about this." Lelouch stated. "We need them to all be together in ThunderClan for the time being."

"That's asking for a lot. I don't think the other clans are willing to let them be with us, especially with the threat of the Heartless." Jayfeather responded.

"I think they might. I was able to fight them off and I'm not part of any recent prophecy or a cat that has a Keyblade." Ivypool said.

"So normal cats are able to fight off the Heartless? That is a very vital piece of information." Jayfeather responded. "Regardless, my opinion still stands. We'll need more persuasion than that."

"I think I might have an idea." Lelouch began. "Tigerheart attacked Dovewing as a way to get revenge on her because he thinks he lied to her, right?" The two nodded. "So then I'm his next target, which also means that Ivypool is one as well."

"That sounds reasonable. She is Dovewing's sister and your mate, so if he wants to exact revenge, you both are a priority."

"I don't disagree, but if that's the case then why didn't he attack while Lelouch and I were separated?" Ivypool wondered.

"Darkness lies in the shadows until its time to hunt is right, remember?" They all turned their heads and saw that it was Briarlight who spoke. "Lelouch, are you going to risk your life to find Tigerheart? I don't want you getting hurt." She told him, worry in her voice. He placed his tail on her shoulder, causing her to blush.

"I might have to, but I'll be fine, I promise." He assured her. "How long were you awake?"

"I woke up once I heard Jayfeather." She said with a small laugh, Jayfeather now having a look of embarrassment on his face. "So Dovewing's heart really is gone?" Lelouch nodded his head. "This is surreal. It seems like such a cruel power to have."

"That's the power of a broken heart. It can cause us to lose ourselves and become a cat we never knew existed." Jayfeather stated. "You two should get to bed. We can explain everything to Bramblestar in the morning."

"There's nothing to explain, I heard everything." They looked at the entrance to the medicine cat's den and saw their leader standing there. "We need RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan to cooperate with us, like you said, Lelouch."

"How'd you know we were talking?" Ivypool asked.

"Jayfeather disappearing out of StarClan unexpectedly was a major clue." He walked over to where Dovewing's body was. "We need to get her heart back. You all go back to sleep. I'll inform the clan tomorrow and we can strategize from there."

"Yes, Bramblestar." Ivypool and Lelouch both looked over at Dovewing's body.

"Don't worry, sis, Lelouch and I will help get your heart back." The two left the medicine cat's den and made their way over to the warriors' den. They slowly rested next to each other, trying their best not to wake any cat up. They kept their voices low as well to make sure not to disturb the others as well.

"She put the blame on herself, that's why she went out to find him. Somehow I feel like this is my fault." Lelouch told his mate.

"You're sounding hypocritical now, you know?" She told him. "She was just worried about you leaving, and Tigerheart got the wrong picture, that's all. Don't be feeling bad for yourself now. We need you at your best if we want to defeat Tigerheart." She gave him a comforting lick over his right ear.

"Right. Sorry for making you worry, Ivypool."

"It's okay. Just make sure not to lose your heart if you see Tigerheart. I don't know what I'd do without you." She pressed her body closer to his before the two finally closed their eyes and continued their sleep for the night.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next morning, Bramblestar addressed the clan about the incident that happened last night to Dovewing. The cats were all in fear and panic, but their leader assured them by telling them that this was a situation that Sora, Riku, and Kairi would handle and that Lelouch and Ivypool would go tell the other clans about it and ask if the three could come over to ThunderClan.

"But what if the other clans don't let them come?" Blossomfal asked, which caused the other clan cats to question it at well.

"We're going to have to hope that they do. We believe that there's enough information to persuade them to let Sora, Riku, and Kairi come to ThunderClan." He assured them. "For now, I don't want any cat leaving on their own nor do I want you going out into the clearing. That's where Tigerheart was said to have attacked Dovewing. Does everyone understand?" He looked at the cats and saw that none spoke. "Good. This meeting is over." Once every cat got back to their clan duties, Bramblestar joined up with Squirrelflight and the two walked over to Ivypool and Lelouch.

"Are you both ready to go?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Not yet. I should go see my parents first. They're already worried about Dovewing, so I don't want them worrying about me." Ivypool replied. She headed over to the medicine cat's den and Lelouch followed her. When they entered, they saw that Birchfall and Whitewing were sitting near Dovewing's body.

"Lelouch, Ivypool, take these traveling herbs before you go. Your journey won't be too long, but it's a bit of a walk around the whole lake." Jayfeather told them. The two ate the herbs, both of them not really enjoying their taste. Once they were done, they walked over to where Dovewing was.

"Lelouch and I are leaving now you two." Ivypool told her parents.

"Ivypool, promise me that you'll be safe, okay? I don't think I could live another day knowing that both my daughters are in some sort of danger." Whitewing told her.

"I'll be fine. Lelouch is coming with me, remember?" She pressed her head on his pelt.

"You're right. Lelouch, I'm glad that Ivypool chose you to be her mate. I'm sure you'll protect her." Lelouch blushed a bit at the compliment, but nodded his head.

"I promise that I will. The same goes for Dovewing. We'll get her heart back."

"I hope so. Make sure you keep my daughter safe, okay?" Birchfall told him.

"Yes. We need to have grand-kits after all." Whitewing added, causing the two to blush.

"Mom! You know what, we should just head out right now." Ivypool told them. Before she left, she walked over to her parents and shared a quick embrace. "Sorry about that." She apologized to Lelouch once she was back with him.

"It's okay. Your parents are going through a bit right now, so I understand." He told her. "But even though Dovewing's heart is missing, they seem fine. I mean, I know they're not entirely, but…you know what I mean, right?" She let out a small giggle.

"Yup. Don't hurt yourself explaining it." The two walked over to see Bramblestar and Squirrelflight one last time before they left.

"You two ready now?" Bramblestar asked, and they nodded. "Good. You'll need to try your best to explain everything to them. All the clans are essentially counting on you both to bring Sora, Riku and Kairi here to stop any more hearts from being taken."

"Above all, be safe you two." Squirrelflight added.

"We'll be back with the three, don't worry." Ivypool assured them. "C'mon Lelouch, let's go." The two began walking towards the camp exit before they heard their names being called from behind them. They saw that it was Lionblaze and Cinderheart.

"We don't want to sound like we're worried…but Cinderheart insisted." Lionblaze began, causing Cinderheart to give him a small push.

"Anyway, just be careful out there. The Heartless, and Tigerheart for that matter, can come out of nowhere. Protect each other at all times."

"We will. Lelouch and I make a good team. Last night we fought off a swarm of Heartless together." Ivypool told them. "Well, we should get going now."

"Oh! Right. Sorry for holding you back. The sooner you get back the sooner we'll be able to get Dovewing's heart back." Cinderheart realized. "Okay then, see you both soon!" The two began their walk into the forest and decided to head over to ShadowClan first.

"We'll be getting the hardest clan to cooperate first, so if we can do that the rest should be easy." Ivypool stated as the two hopped over a fallen log.

"I'd have to disagree with you on that one. Since Tigerheart is from ShadowClan, I think they're going to be the easiest to talk with. Actually, I honestly think that all the clans are going to cooperate."

"I guess you do have a point about ShadowClan. I can't forget that my mate's one of the smartest cats that I know." She responded. "Lelouch, do you think that Sora, Riku, and Kairi will be enough to defeat Tigerheart?"

"I haven't seen any of their powers before, but I'm sure that they will be. They've dealt with the darkness before, so I don't think this situation's as different. Sora did say that he traveled to different worlds to stop the darkness at each one after all."

"And how about Dovewing?" She asked.

"What about her?"

"Do you think she'll still love Tigerheart?" Lelouch let out a breath.

"I can't answer that, Ivypool. That's all up to Dovewing to decide." He responded. As they walked past more trees for a while, they reached the Twolegpath that divided ShadowClan and ThunderClan. They looked up and down the path, making sure that no Twolegs were around. Once they saw that it was safe to cross, they made their way out of the patch of bushes and headed into the forests of ShadowClan.

"This is strange. We haven't encountered any Heartless yet."

"Maybe Tigerheart's holding them off for the opportune time." Lelouch replied, reminding her of the prophecy given to Jayfeather. He followed her most of the time since she was the only one between the two with any idea where each camp was located. As they got closer to ShadowClan, they ran into a patrol consisting of Dawnpelt, Crowfrost, Pinenose, and Scorchfur.

"What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?" Crowfrost asked them in a harsh tone, but Dawnpelt silenced him with her tail.

"Ivypool, Lelouch, did you find my brother? Please tell me that's why you're here." They could sense the worry in her voice.

"We didn't, but last night, he attacked Dovewing and took her heart." Ivypool informed them.

"Took her heart? What does that mean?" Pinenose questioned, believing that the ThunderClan she-cat was lying.

"It's exactly how it sounds. We need Riku to come back to ThunderClan with us. Just let us speak to Blackstar about this, please." Ivypool begged.

"Okay. I'm sure that this is why Riku was brought to this world. If it means saving Tigerheart, we have to let them speak to Blackstar." Dawnpelt told her clanmates, who didn't disagree with her decision. They let the two cats into the camp and as they entered, they were approached by Rowanclaw. "Father, Ivypool and Lelouch said that Tigerheart attacked Dovewing last night and took her heart. I think Riku was right about the new powers he has by accepting the darkness."

"It's not too late to save him, Dawnpelt. Are you bringing them to Blackstar?"

"Yes." As they were talking, they saw that Riku approached them.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Riku, it's Tigerheart. Ivypool says that he attacked Dovewing last night and stole her heart." Riku's eyes widened when Dawnpelt told him that.

"What! How's Dovewing now? Is she okay?"

"Her body's intact, but she's unconscious." Lelouch explained. "We actually came here hoping that we could take you, Sora, and Kairi to ThunderClan because I think we have a plan on defeating Tigerheart."

"Right. Well let's go over to RiverClan to get Kairi then."

"Wait. We need to tell Blackstar about this." Rowanclaw told him. "Follow me." The four cats followed the ShadowClan deputy and they reached the leader's den. "Blackstar, Ivypool and Lelouch from ThunderClan have arrived with news about Tigerheart."

"I see. Well, what have you got to say?" He asked the two.

"Last night, Dovewing encountered Tigerheart. Lelouch found her and we figured out that he took her heart by a prophecy Jayfeather gained from StarClan. Riku says that it's one of the abilities that he's gained from accepting the darkness in his heart." Ivypool explained. "We were wondering if we could take Riku to ThunderClan with us for today."

"You want to take the only savior ShadowClan has? That's asking for a lot." The leader responded.

"I can understand your concern, but his vendetta lies with myself and Ivypool. At the moment, the only issue your clan is dealing with is the Heartless, which can be defeated by clan cats." Lelouch explained. "If we can take Riku, the sooner the Heartless threat will end and the sooner we can return Tigerheart back to his normal self." Lelouch could see that the ShadowClan leader was wary about the request. Blackstar let out a breath.

"Very well. Tigerheart is a part of ShadowClan and if he's harmed a ThunderClan cat, I can't help but feel responsible." He then shot a look at Riku. "Riku, bring Tigerheart back to ShadowClan."

"I won't come back unless I do so." He told him, causing the leader to grin.

"ShadowClan honors your bravery. Now go; Tigerheart's waiting to come home." Ivypool and Lelouch nodded their heads in thanks before heading out of the den with Riku and Dawnpelt. When they made it to the camp entrance, Riku joined the two ThunderClan cats.

"Dawnpelt, make sure the clan's safe. I promise that I'll bring Tigerheart back." Dawnpelt walked over to him and brushed her head below his chin, causing him to blush.

"Thank you, Riku, for everything. Make sure you come back safe as well."

"Y-yeah, I will." He assured her. Dawnpelt stood at the entrance to the camp, watching the three cats leave on their way to RiverClan to get Kairi.

"So, are Dawnpelt and you…?" Ivypool began, but Riku quickly shook his head.

"No! It was a one-time thing! I didn't know she was going to do that." He responded.

"I know where you're coming from." Lelouch told him with a small laugh. "It's good to see that she cares for your safety though. You're really doing a lot for her, especially since you're so diligent in saving Tigerheart. He is her brother, after all."

"I mean, what else am I supposed to do? I've accepted the darkness before and I know the outcome. You lose yourself and become something different. I don't want to see anyone else succumb to it like I did. That's what drives me." The silver cat explained, the two others understanding his attitude towards the situation. "You said that Dovewing is just unconscious, right?"

"Yes. Riku, it's possible that we can save her, right?" Ivypool asked, worry in her voice. He nodded his head.

"Yeah, but it might not be easy, depending on how much his heart is consumed by the darkness. The reason I asked is because you said her heart was taken…but her body still exists. Normally she should have become a Heartless. Maybe it works differently for cats? I don't know."

"Thank StarClan. I mean, I had a feeling it was possible, but I needed the reassurance." The two ThunderClan cats followed Riku as he guided the two towards the Greenleaf Twolegplace, which was where the ShadowClan-RiverClan border was located. There were no Twolegs along the way, so they were able to cross with ease.

"Ivypool, do you know where the RiverClan camp is?" Riku asked, and she nodded. "Lead the way." Now the gray she-cat led the two toms for a while until they approached a stream. They saw a group of RiverClan cats on the other side, and Riku smiled when he saw that one of them was Kairi.

"Riku!" She made her way across the stream to join the three. "Wait, you're Lelouch and…Ivypool, right? If ThunderClan cats are all the way here, something must be wrong, right?"

"I'm afraid so. Ivypool's sister, Dovewing, was attacked by Tigerheart and he stole her heart." Riku explained.

"Oh no! Ivypool…I'm so sorry." Kairi sympathized with her. The three other cats saw the group of RiverClan cats hop over and join Kairi.

"What's wrong?" Petalfur asked. She shot a quick look at Lelouch and then averted her eyes away once he looked at her.

"Ivypool's sister had her heart taken by Tigerheart last night." Kairi told them.

"He can do that?" Minnowtail said in disbelief.

"It's the darkness in his heart that's allowing him to. We have to stop him."

"Is that why these three are here?" Grasspelt asked, looking at the other cats. He grinned when he saw Lelouch. "Hiya Lelouch, my sister Petalfur says hi."

"Grasspelt!" She smacked him with a paw, causing Lelouch to let out a small laugh.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Petalfur. I don't think we've met before." He let out a small smile, and she began to blush.

"We…haven't. It's nice to…finally meet you." Her gaze met his and she could feel her body freeze up.

"Hey! Can we get back to the big picture here?" Minnowtail said. "You two can greet each other later, but we need to know why there are three non-RiverClan cats on our territory."

"We need to talk with Mistystar about letting us take Kairi to ThunderClan. We need her because we believe that Tigerheart is going to strike there next." Riku explained.

"Right. She's supposed to be a savior after all, so if stopping Tigerheart gets rid of the Heartless, I don't see why Mistystar would object." Minnowtail responded. "Follow me." Riku and Kairi walked along with Minnowtail, while Lelouch, Ivypool, Petalfur, and her brother walked behind them.

"Ivypool, I'm so sorry about your sister. I hope that she'll be okay." Petalfur told her. "I remember when we traveled up to the dam together. She was just an apprentice then, too."

"You two must be good friends, despite being in different clans." Lelouch told her. "I'm sure you'll see her at the next Gathering."

"Are you going to be there too?" Grasspelt asked, and his sister shot him a look. "You know, just in case you don't have enough time now to talk with Petalfur."

"I can't guarantee that I'll be there. You know how Gatherings are."

"Ouch, I don't think that's what you wanted to say." Petalfur growled and turned around to look at her brother.

"Can you just leave me alone for once? Please? Just go up there with the others, okay?" She begged. He looked at her, a bit of regret in his eyes. He said nothing else and walked up to join Riku, Kairi, and Minnowtail. "Sorry about that…"

"It's okay. I mean, he was just teasing you, but he didn't know when to stop." Ivypool told her. "It's what siblings do." _It's what I'm missing now as well._

The group arrived at the RiverClan camp, Riku, Lelouch, and Ivypool being stared at by the RiverClan cats as they approached Mistystar's den. They were led there by Reedwhisker, RiverClan's deputy.

"Mistystar, we have guests." Reedwhisker told her, standing aside to let the four cats enter.

"Riku, Lelouch, and Ivypool, what brings you to RiverClan?" The leader asked.

"We've come here to ask that Kairi come with us to ThunderClan." Lelouch stated. "Mistystar, last night Dovewing was attacked by Tigerheart. With the dark powers he has now, he was able to steal her heart. We believe that ThunderClan is going to be his next target. I know you may be thinking about the Heartless, but clan cats are able to defeat them with ease." Mistystar didn't even hesitate to nod her head.

"Very well. Kairi it seems that your prophecy now brings you to ThunderClan. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you stay safe."

"Thank you, Mistystar. I hope that the clan is safe while I'm gone." Kairi walked up to the leader and they shared a quick embrace before they left the leader's den. As they were about to leave the clan, Grasspelt, Minnowtail, and Petalfur approached them.

"So…I guess you're all leaving now, huh?" Grasspelt said.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll be back once it's all over." Kairi brushed his shoulder with her tail, causing him to lick his chestfur in embarrassment.

"Good luck, Kairi." Minnowtail told her, the two cats brushing their coats together. Petalfur walked up to her and did the same.

"Make sure you all stay safe."

"We will. Thanks, Petalfur." Lelouch told her. The group left RiverClan and began to make their way towards WindClan to now get Sora. "Kairi, you know how to get to WindClan from here, right?"

"I hope so. Just follow me." She took the lead. "I can't believe what happened to Dovewing. How did he attack her?"

"We're not sure. She walked out of the camp that night by herself and I found her body just on the grass in the clearing." Lelouch told her.

"Her body? So she's not a Heartless?"

"Yeah, just like you, Kairi." Riku told her.

"Wait, you lost your heart before?" Ivypool asked, and Kairi nodded. "How is it like? Is it scary at all? How did it happen?"

"Honestly…I don't remember any of it at all. I just know that Sora was the one that was protecting my heart while my body was unconscious."

"Aw! That must mean you and Sora are meant to be together!" Kairi's face began to grow hot.

"Thanks, but I don't think we feel that way. We're just really good friends."

"Riku, is that true?"

"I'm not much of a love expert, but I guess it is." He answered. "Kairi, have you been using your Keyblade lately? I just want to make sure you're ready for when we fight Tigerheart."

"I've been practicing my magic mostly, but I know how to fight." She assured the silver cat. The group reached the marsh that lie between RiverClan and WindClan and slowly trudged through it, their fur become dirty with every splash of their paws into the thick mud below them.

"I really wish it didn't rain yesterday. This is disgusting." Ivypool complained. "This is especially bad for you, Riku. Look how dirty your fur's getting. White fur and mud don't mix at all!" Kairi giggled at the she-cat's reaction. It took them a while, but once they got through the mud, they were in WindClan territory near the Horseplace. They decided to step into the shallow area of the lake to wash themselves off first before they continued to make their way to WindClan.

"Ivypool, do you know where WindClan's camp is?" Kairi asked the gray she-cat. "I don't know this territory very much.

"We just go past this Horseplace and then follow the WindClan scent. It's really weak here, but we'll smell it later on." She told them. With Ivypool taking the lead, the three others followed her. As they walked past the Horseplace, Kairi jumped when they all suddenly heard the loud hoofsteps of the horses nearby. "Don't worry Kairi, they won't hurt you."

"I know. I just didn't think they'd be that loud." She responded. The four cats continued their walk until they reached the end of the Horseplace and an expansive moor now stretched out in front of them.

"This is WindClan territory? How are they protected out here?" Lelouch wondered.

"Their camp is inside of a shallow scoop in the ground. Their protection really lies with their warriors, so Onestar might be the hardest one to persuade." Ivypool told him. "But you've done well so far, Lelouch." She gave him a quick nuzzle on the neck.

"Look over there." Riku pointed forward with a claw. "Those are WindClan cats, right Ivypool?" She looked towards where he was pointing and saw a group of three cats.

"They have to be. Let's go." As they walked closer to the cats, they turned their attention towards the four and waited for them to approach. Once they were standing face-to-face, Ivypool saw that it was Crowfeather, Whitetail, and Leaftail.

"Ivypool, Lelouch, Riku, and Kairi; what brings you to WindClan?" Crowfeather greeted them.

"Hi Crowfeather. We need to go to your camp and talk to Onestar about letting us bring Sora to ThunderClan." Ivypool informed him.

"You want him back after Bramblestar allowed him to come with us?" Whitetail said.

"It's not because of that. It's because last night Dovewing was attacked by Tigerheart, who has fully taken over the darkness in his heart. With it, he was able to steal Dovewing's heart and I'm positive that I'm his next target." Lelouch explained. "I know it sounds like we're asking for a lot, but Sora, Riku, and Kairi are the ones who can defeat him and stop the Heartless from being on your territory." Crowfeather looked over at the two other WindClan warriors before turning back to look at Lelouch.

"Very well then. If it means ending the unwanted threat, then I'm sure Onestar may agree. Come." Crowfeather took the lead and the others followed.

When they reached the WindClan camp, Lelouch, Riku, and Kairi were surprised by its lack of dens and instead saw that most of the cats just rested in the center of the camp, including Onestar. Crowfeather explained that the clan cats enjoyed sleeping under the open sky, but would move into small dens that they found if the weather became hostile, such as yesterday. Kairi and Riku saw that Sora was resting with a light brown tabby, the two sharing a piece of fresh-kill. They broke away from the group and approached him. His ears pricked up as they approached and he let out a big smile and quickly got up to greet his friends when he saw them.

"Kairi! Riku!" He leaped towards them, causing them both to fall over with him on top of them. "What are you doing in WindClan anyway?"

"I'll tell you…but can you get off of us first?" Riku asked him. Sora got back to his paws and the other two got up.

"Were we interrupting you two?" Kairi asked, looking at the cat that Sora was talking with.

"Nope. Actually, you two should meet her." Sora motioned for the she-cat to come over with his tail. "Riku, Kairi, this is Heathertail."

"It's nice to meet you Heathertail. I'm glad Sora's found a good friend here." Kairi told her.

"Yeah, especially a girl. What's the status between you two?" Riku asked with a grin, causing the two to become flustered.

"W-we're just friends." Heathertail answered.

"Totally. She's just an awesome cat, that's all." Sora added. His other two friends smiled. "What's so funny? I'm just being honest."

"Anyway, we need you to come with us to see Onestar. Lelouch and Ivypool are waiting." Riku told him.

"Right." Sora began following the two.

"You can come as well, Heathertail." Kairi looked over at the she-cat with a smile. The four cats now walked over to where Onestar was. They saw that Lelouch was in the middle of explaining the situation to Onestar. Although Whitetail brought up the fact that ThunderClan gave up Sora before, Onestar didn't utilize it as an excuse, but rather, as a reason to support Lelouch's request.

"Sora's not in ThunderClan because of my request. I know that I should put my clan above all, but if Tigerheart is specifically attacking ThunderClan then I don't see why I should keep him away." Onestar stated.

"He'll come back once this is all over." Lelouch assured him. He then looked over next to him and saw that Sora and Heathertail were now here as well. "Sora, did Kairi and Riku explain the situation to you?" He shook his head. "We can explain it on our way to ThunderClan. Onestar, thank you for understanding."

"Wait, you're taking Sora away?" Heathertail asked.

"For the time being, they are." Onestar told her.

"Oh…" Her voice was now filled with sorrow.

"We'll bring him back, Heathertail, don't worry. We just need to fulfill our prophecy, that's all. You understand, right?" Both cats' crystal blue eyes connected, and Heathertail nodded her head.

"Make sure you're safe, okay Sora?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure to tell you all about it when I come back."

"I'd like that." She replied with a smile.

"Sora, are you ready to go? I don't want to rush you?" Lelouch said.

"Yup. Like you said, I'll see them all again soon." Sora shot one final look at Onestar, who nodded his head. "Okay, let's head to ThunderClan." The five cats made their way out of the WindClan camp and headed north to ThunderClan, Ivypool leading them.

"Sora, are you and Heathertail together?" Ivypool asked, and the brown cat's face began to grow hot.

"I know it seems like it, but we're not, I promise!"

"Well have you even tried? It's obvious that she likes you. You heard how sad she was when she found out that you were leaving." Kairi responded.

"We're not supposed to meddle in other worlds anyway, so even if I did, it'd be wrong."

"Wow Sora, following the rules now, huh?" Riku let out a small chuckle, causing Sora to pout.

"Whatever. Anyway, what's going on?"

"Dovewing lost her heart yesterday." Lelouch told him as he continued walking beside Ivypool. "Tigerheart attacked her last night."

"What! Is she okay?"

"Her heart's gone, but her body's intact." Ivypool added. "We needed you three here since the darkness is something that you're familiar with going up against."

"Do you know where Tigerheart is now?" He asked, but the she-cat shook her head.

"We don't, but we know that he's going to attack ThunderClan first, specifically me or Lelouch."

"That explains why you need the three of us. What's the plan?"

"We're devising that once we get back to camp." The black tom told him. "All I know so far is that I'll be the one to bait him out."

"Lelouch, if that's part of the plan, make sure that you're safe." Kairi told him.

"I'll be fine. Whatever it takes to get Dovewing's heart back, I'll do."

"I'll be out there with you as well, Lelouch." Ivypool told him, which suddenly caused him to stop. She came to a halt and looked back at him. "You…don't want me out there with you, right?"

"Ivypool…I can't lose you. Losing Dovewing was enough, but losing you? The cat that I love?" She walked up to him and nuzzled his cheek.

"You won't lose me, Lelouch. Besides, what if Tigerheart comes after me and attacks the clan? We have to lure him out together." Lelouch responded by giving her a small lick on the cheek.

"You're right. You're as much of a warrior as I am, and I shouldn't worry about you."

"Well I wouldn't say you shouldn't worry about me." She giggled. She looked over at the other three cats who were just watching the two, causing her to blush. "Sorry for stopping you three."

"It's okay. You two make a cute couple." Kairi commented, causing Lelouch to now blush.

"We should get going now. ThunderClan's just beyond that river over there in the distance." Lelouch said, shaking off his sudden embarrassment. The group continued their journey back to ThunderClan, reaching the river and hopping across it with ease. As they were walking, Kairi stopped, and the others looked over at her.

"Kairi, you okay?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine, but…" She lifted her head up to sniff the air. "Tigerheart's definitely around here. I can sense the darkness nearby. I didn't sense any darkness as we walked through RiverClan or WindClan, so they should be okay."

"You can sense the presence of darkness? You don't mind me asking how, do you?" Lelouch wondered as the five resumed their walk towards the ThunderClan camp.

"Kairi's a Princess of Heart, so she has no darkness inside of her." Riku explained.

"Maybe that's the case for Dovewing then. If her body's fine, then she must have a pure heart too, right?" Sora stated, but Riku gave him a shrug.

"Don't know. I was thinking it worked differently for cats." Riku responded. "Ivypool, are we almost there?"

"Yeah. Once we go into the forest, we'll be there shortly." They continued walking and saw a stone quarry in the distance. They saw a Thunderpath lying next to the forest and followed Ivypool into it. Once they walked for a bit, they reached a thorn tunnel and followed Ivypool inside. Once they made it through, Riku and Kairi looked around, the group finally making it back to ThunderClan.

"Riku, Kairi, welcome to ThunderClan." They saw that the greeting came from Bramblestar as he approached the group. "Lelouch, Ivypool, it's good to see that you made it back safely, and it's great to see you again, Sora." The brown cat let out a smile. "I'm sure that these two told you everything?"

"Yes, Bramblestar."

"Do you mind if we go and see Dovewing?" Kairi asked. Bramblestar shook his head.

"Not at all. She's over in the medicine cat's den." Bramblestar led the three and once they arrived, Jayfeather turned his head towards the entrance. "Don't worry Jayfeather, the new scents are Riku and Kairi."

"It's nice to meet you three. I'm sure you'll fulfill your prophecy soon." Kairi and Riku looked at the medicine cat and saw that he was blind.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Kairi told him. She then looked over at Briarlight. "Are you his assistant?"

"That's Briarlight. In a way you could call her that, but she lives here due to her paralyzed hindlegs." Jayfeather answered.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that, Briarlight."

"It's okay. You're really pretty, Kairi." The brown she-cat told her, causing her to smile.

"Aw, thanks. You're really pretty too." Kairi looked over at the others. "Sorry about that. Just wanted to know these two."

"Her body is right there." Bramblestar pointed a claw at the body of a pale gray she-cat on a bed of moss. The three approached her, Kairi being the first to try and look for a pulse.

"There's…nothing…" Riku let out a growl at the sight of Dovewing's lifeless body. He knew what the powers of darkness were capable of, and seeing the result of it being used sparked his anger.

"We have to think of a plan, now! Whatever it is needs to happen today!"

"Riku…" Sora looked over at his friend, sensing the empathy in his voice. "We'll think of something that'll stop Tigerheart and save Dovewing, don't worry."

"Don't worry, I have a plan thought out already." Lelouch told them.

"Really?" Bramblestar looked over at him. "What is it?"

"It's simple. Ivypool and I will stand out at the clearing tonight and try to get Tigerheart to attack us, while Sora, Riku, and Kairi stay hidden somewhere. Once he comes out, you three jump and try to take him down and save both his and Dovewing's heart."

"What if he doesn't appear?" Jayfeather asked, his mouth muffled by herbs as he sorted them.

"He'll appear, I'm sure of it. The time for darkness to hunt will be right, won't it?" Lelouch responded, reminding him of the prophecy he obtained last night.

"Theoretically, yes. Both you and Ivypool out there together is all he really wants to exact his revenge. I guess that should work." Sora looked at Riku and Kairi, and the two nodded their heads in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Tonight, the darkness in the forest ends."


	8. Chapter 7 A Heart's Cry

Chapter 7: A Heart's Cry

Darkness filled the sky that night, the illuminating moon being the only source of light in the sky. In the forests of ThunderClan, Tigerheart stood atop of a branch, looking out towards the lake at the center of the clan territories. He lifted his right forepaw up and looked at it, a dark aura now surrounding it. _This is the paw that I used to take Dovewing's heart._ In the same paw, a sudden orb of light appeared and tears now impaired his vision. _I…did this to her…I took her life away…_

 _Yes, you did. Now you'll be able to take the hearts of those three heroes of light, along with Dovewing's friend and her precious sister._ Xehanort told him.

"But…I don't think I can…My anger and the darkness have blinded me." Tigerheart could feel his head begin to pulse and he let out a yowl of pain.

 _There's no turning back now, Tigerheart. The darkness has consumed most of your heart, and now it's going to take it all!_ A dark aura began to surround Tigerheart's body and his paws began to shake.

"No…what are you…doing? Just…leave me…alone." He begged, the flow of darkness now being too much for him to handle. "I won't…I won't…give in…"

 _It's too late for that. Once you accepted my power, your path was already set._ Tigerheart felt his own hold on his body slowly beginning to vanish and his screams of pain suddenly stopped once he fainted. When he came back to consciousness, he let out an evil laugh.

"I have to finish what I started. I'll make sure that every cat from a different world suffers for what has happened to me." He lifted a paw up, causing a dark aura to appear. Once it subsided, Xehanort's Keyblade appeared in front of him and he picked it up with his mouth. _Perfect, I can sense where they're waiting for me, all five of them grouped up together. How fitting._ Tigerheart turned his head towards the direction of the clearing and made his way there. _It seems that everyone wants to lose their heart around there._ In a few minutes, he broke through a row of bushes and saw two cats standing there. He saw that it was Ivypool and Lelouch. His Keyblade disappeared and he glared at the two.

"Well this is quite a surprise. Are you two looking for this?" With his right paw, he summoned Dovewing's heart.

"Is that…Dovewing's heart?" Ivypool asked him. She then let out a growl. "You fox-hearted monster! How could you do such a thing?"

"Yes, let the anger consume your heart. You hate me, Ivypool, I know it." He responded. "By the way, I know that Sora, Riku, and Kairi are around here, so they should just come out right now." The three cats he named jumped out from where they were hiding and stood in front of Ivypool and Lelouch. Riku turned to look over at Ivypool.

"Ivypool, don't listen to him. Don't let your heart be tainted by the darkness." He then shifted his gaze towards Tigerheart. "Tigerheart, I know there's still some light left inside of you. Snap out of it! ShadowClan is worried about you! Dawnpelt misses you!"

"Shut up! I left ShadowClan for a reason, and I'm not letting that go to waste!" They watched as Xehanort's Keyblade appeared in his mouth.

"A Keyblade!" Sora looked at the cat in shock. "Lelouch, Ivypool, get back to ThunderClan." He looked back at the two with a smile. "The three of us will be fine."

"Right. C'mon Ivypool." The three ran back towards ThunderClan, wishing the three luck before they left.

"You'll need more than luck if you want to stop me!" Tigerheart let out a roar of anger. The three watched as a dark aura now enveloped his body and from behind him, a Heartless in the form of a cat appeared. Sora, Riku, and Kairi summoned their Keyblades, their battle to save the clans about to commence. Riku ran towards Tigerheart first, swinging his Keyblade in his mouth, but the attack was deflected by Tigerheart's own Keyblade, and he pushed Riku back to the others.

"You okay, Riku?" Sora asked him.

"I'm fine. All three of us need to go attack him." The other two nodded and they ran towards him together. Sora jumped into the air and grabbed his Keyblade with his tail, using his claws to attack as well. Riku charged forward at him again, and Kairi shot a small orb of ice at him. Tigerheart's Guardian Heartless used its tail to knock the three away, but when it hit the ball of ice, it exploded, frost now covering the grass.

"Good, now it's my turn." Tigerheart disappeared from in front of them and appeared in front of Riku, his Heartless grabbing Riku with its tail, constantly squeezing him. "I never needed your help, Riku. You were just another annoyance not from this world." He then raised a paw towards Sora and Kairi, placing a barrier around where they were.

"Riku!" Sora's voice was muffled by his new surroundings. He swung at the barrier with his Keyblade, and Kairi did the same, but it wouldn't break. The two watched as Riku's Keyblade fell to the ground and disappeared.

"No! Riku!" Kairi screamed out. The silver cat's breath began to falter, his eyes locked with Tigerheart's.

"Tigerheart…I know that you're…hurt inside…but you need to fight the…darkness." Riku told him. "This isn't you, Tigerheart…I know it isn't…"

"How do you know what the real me is, huh? You haven't known me that long, so don't try to tell me that!" The pressure around Riku's body increased and he slowly lifted a paw up towards Tigerheart and fired a Dark Firaga as point-blank range, causing a bright light to surround the two. Sora and Kairi watched as the light faded away, and once it did, they saw that the barriers that they were in disappeared. They ran towards Riku, who slowly got back up on his paws.

"You two okay?" He asked them.

"We're fine. How about you?" Kairi looked at him and saw that his fur was now ruffled.

"Did you really think that was enough to stop me?" Tigerheart stood in front of the three and saw that he was intact.

"He's not even hurt…" Sora said in disbelief. "It's that Heartless behind him. We have to stop it somehow."

"Right. It has its limits though too, look." Riku said, noticing that parts of the head of the cat Heartless was missing due to his recent attack.

"So maybe if we attack it more, it'll disappear and Tigerheart might regain some of the light in his heart." Kairi theorized.

"Kairi, since you're good with magic, why don't you stay back here and back me and Riku up?" Sora suggested, and the she-cat nodded. "Alright. Ready Riku?"

"Yeah." The two cats charged at Tigerheart, while Kairi shot two balls of lightning to follow them. They jumped into the air, letting the shot of lightning hit Tigerheart, bursting and stunning him for a bit. Once he shook it off, he looked up to see Sora and Riku with their Keyblade being held by their tails, rapidly stabbing towards him, but his Heartless negated the damage. Even so, the two continued their onslaught, switching between their Keyblade attacks and a flurry of dark orbs summoned from their paws. Kairi added to their attack by pointing her Keyblade towards Tigerheart and firing three rounds of Firaga towards him, exploding on contact.

"Step aside!" Tigerheart's Heartless swiped at the two, but they quickly moved out of the way. Their Keyblades both now glowed, the aura of a sword extending the reach of their blades. They noticed that Tigerheart's Heartless was gone and he now held his Keyblade with his tail. Together, Sora and Riku began swinging their Keyblades effortlessly, the tabby tom deflecting their hits with his Keyblade. He could feel his body being knocked back by every hit, but he still continued blocking the attacks. He let out a grin when he saw the shadow that now approached Kairi that was unnoticed by the two others. Kairi watched the shadow now approach her, moving away from it. However, it was too fast and once it was under her, Tigerheart's Heartless Guardian rose up, sending a shockwave across the ground and knocking her up.

"Kairi!" Sora stopped his attack and looked back at the cat who was now tossed in the air.

"Don't worry about me! Keep fighting!" She assured him, looking down at the Heartless below her.

"Sora, she's distracting his Guardian. Let's finish this!" Riku told him.

"Right." Along with their Keyblades, thirteen other swords now circled around them, and with every swing of their blades, the extra ones would add to the assault. Along with his Keyblade, Tigerheart formed a barrier around himself to block any of the incoming damage that the two cats were doing. He saw that his Heartless was effectively fending off Kairi, the she-cat struggling to stay still as she blocked its attacks.

"You better make sure that your friend is okay. She might die because of you two." Sora looked back, but Riku immediately gave him a tap.

"She's fine. We need to finish this right now." Sora nodded, and after a few more strikes from the blades, Riku and Sora both tossed their Keyblades so that they were on each side of Tigerheart, pointing directly at him. They both began rapidly spinning, forming a gravity field that began to push him off of the ground. He let out a powerful howl and the field burst, pushing Riku and Sora towards a tree. Right before they hit, a barrier formed around the two and they safely fell to the ground, slowly trying to get up, but falling to the ground at each attempt.

"What!" Tigerheart looked over and saw that the assistance came from Kairi, who was now the only one able to fight at the moment. "You…" The Heartless that Kairi was fighting disappeared, and she saw that Tigerheart now appeared in front of her. Kairi was now panting for her breath, fatigued by having to block the Guardian's attacks. "Now…you die!" Tigerheart now held his Keyblade in his mouth, and he readied his attack, along with his Guardian, who was about to swing a paw at the she-cat. "Your friends can't save you now!" The two swung, but right when they were about to hit her, Kairi disappeared. _Where'd she go?_ Tigerheart looked around, but was suddenly knocked down by being blindsided by an orb of magic. He looked behind him and saw that Kairi was now in the sky, along with seven orbs of magic. She began teleporting behind each one, sending the orbs in a volley towards him. He deflected them back with his Keyblade, and when he did, Kairi swiftly teleported behind them, reflecting them back. This went on for a while until Kairi finally saw an opening. She lifted a paw up, an icy wind now emanating out of it. From below Tigerheart, a small glacier of ice rose upward, knocking him up, causing him to lose focus, the seven orbs of magic now striking him. Kairi now floating down back to the ground and panted for her breath. She looked over and saw Tigerheart's body lying on the floor. _I…did it?_ She thought before falling down, her Keyblade disappearing.

"Kairi!" Sora ran towards her and saw that she was completely fatigued from all the magic that she used that neither of her friends knew about. He picked her up and placed her next to Riku, who he saw was unconscious as well. Sora looked over at Tigerheart and saw him cough as he got up.

"I'm not finished yet…not until I achieve my goal." He told Sora, who shook his head.

"Tigerheart, this isn't what you want, can't you see that! Step out of the darkness and be reunited with your clan. Don't put your whole life on the line right now, please!"

"My whole life…I'm not putting it on the line. It's you who's throwing your life away!" With his Keyblade, Tigerheart shot a bolt of dark lightning towards Sora, who quickly used a reflect spell to protect himself. "Fine then, if you want to continue living, we'll have to do this the hard way!" He charged towards Sora with his Keyblade in his jaw and swung at him, Sora reflecting it with his own. Once they touched, Tigerheart let go and jumped towards Sora, the two now fighting on the ground with their paws. "Bet you weren't expecting to fight like a true warrior, right?" He swung a claw towards the brown cat, Sora moving his head away but sustaining a claw mark on his right cheek. Tigerheart continued to strike at him, but Sora tried his best to wriggle out of his grasp. "I could just take your heart…but kill you would be more fun!" He struck a blow to Sora's forehead, causing him to let out a yowl of pain. "What's the matter? Can't fight me without a Keyblade?" Sora growled and kicked Tigerheart off of him.

"Tigerheart…fight off the darkness…you have to. I know you can." Sora told him, his breathing increased. He could feel blood begin to run down his cheek and his forehead.

"Why don't you…try and free the old Tigerheart. The one who was lied to, unloved! With this darkness I don't need any of that! Every single cat from another world is trying to ruin my life and I'm sick of it!" He spat, darkness flowing from his body.

"I will…"

"What?"

"I will free the old Tigerheart, I know I will!" Sora closed his eyes, a bright aura surrounding his body. His fur began to change from its brown appearance to a snowy white coat, and black marks that seemed to resemble a wind-like pattern now formed on his forelegs and hindlegs, along with his tail. Once the glow subsided, Sora's Kingdom Key disappeared and the Oathkeeper and Oblivion now hovered alongside him, his Final Form being activated.. Without hesitation, Sora charged at Tigerheart with lightning fast speed, his Keyblade slashing at him every time he'd run past him. Tigerheart had no time to block any of Sora's attacks, his body being marked with every slash of the two Keyblades. When he had a chance, he jumped out of the way and pointed his Keyblade towards the ground, sending down a ball of ice that froze the ground once it made contact. Sora began to lose his balance initially, but jumped up to meet Tigerheart in the sky. Tigerheart now leaped towards Sora, the cat using his speed to slash him with his Keyblade covered in a dark aura. He moved back and forth, trying to break through his defenses, but Sora spun his Keyblades around him, deflecting any attempt of damaging him.

"Take this!" Tigerheart sent out a simultaneous mixture of lighting, ice, and fire magic in the form of a dark orb, which Sora slashed with his Keyblade, causing it to explode, Tigerheart watching as shards of ice flew, sparks formed, and embers touched the ground. Once the cloud of magic subsided, he watched as Sora's body fell to the ground, covered in frost and burns. Tigerheart slowly ascended down to the ground, but before his paws touched the forest floor, Sora's Oblivion slashed him upwards, sending him back into the air.

"You won't beat me that easily!" Sora quickly jumped off from the ground and began an onslaught of attacks with Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He quickly spun the two in front of him, keeping Tigerheart in place, and then also used his claws to strike the tabby cat. His two Keyblades now began stabbing him from above, and he tried to knock them away, but they were controlled by telekinesis, so his attempts were futile. Sora then flipped higher into the air so that he was above Tigerheart, and with one strong strike of his paw, he sent him back down to the forest floor, the ground crumbling below him. Sora slowly descended back to the ground, his coat reverting back to normal and the Kingdom Key now next to him. Dark clouds filled the sky and rain began to pour, the storm from last night suddenly returning.

"Sora…you did it." The brown cat looked over at the nearby trees and saw that Riku regained consciousness, along with Kairi.

"Not…so…fast…" Sora jumped over to where Riku and Kairi were, panting for his breath. "I won't…give up…" Tigerheart summoned his Keyblade in his jaw and stabbed the ground with it. "Darkness…I need more darkness!" A shockwave cracked the ground, heading towards the group. Riku quickly raised a paw up to place a Dark Shield in front of Sora and Kairi, saving them from the attack. Riku stared at the tabby cat in front of him. He could tell that even with the darkness, he was completely worn out.

"Riku!" Kairi called out as she and Sora watched the silver cat begin to walk over to Tigerheart.

"He'll be okay, Kairi. After all, those two are similar in a way." Sora assured her. Once Riku was face-to-face with Tigerheart, he could see the pain and anger in his expression.

"Tigerheart, fight the darkness. If you don't, you'll ruin the lives of countless others, and even your own. I know that there's still some light left in your heart, so just fight it and…"

"Shut up!" With a paw surrounded by darkness, Tigerheart slashed him below his right eye. He let out a gasp when he saw that Riku now was on the ground, looking up at him, blood running down his cut. "No…not again…" His body began to tremble, remembering that before he ran away, he struck Riku in the same exact spot.

 _What are you doing? Kill them already!_ Tigerheart placed a paw on his head and let out a wail of pain.

"Tigerheart!" Sora and Kairi yelled as they saw a dark aura circling around him.

"I…won't…kill him…I can't…" Tears began to fall from his eyes as he looked over at Riku. "Riku…he's my…friend…"

 _Friend? You fool! Power is all you need to succeed, and your friend here is in your way! Now kill him!_

"I won't…Get out of my head!" He screamed one last time before his body fell to the floor.

"Tigerheart…" Riku looked over at his body and saw him slowly get up. He summoned his Keyblade and made his way towards Riku. "Okay then…" He closed his eyes, awaiting his fate, his two friends calling out his name from behind him.

"No!" Kairi flinched when she saw Tigerheart swing his Keyblade. Riku slowly opened his eyes and saw that the blade was right at the edge of his face. He saw that Tigerheart began to shake, the Keyblade in his jaws not finishing the silver cat off.

"Riku…save my heart…please…" Riku looked up at Tigerheart and saw that it was the light in his heart that suddenly regained control of his body. He got back up and joined Sora and Kairi.

"Are you three ready?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let's get his heart out of the darkness." Sora told him. The three cats now summoned their Keyblades and held them with their tails. They made them meet at the tip, a bright light emanating from it. The light began to increase in its intensity and once it reached its threshold, a beam of light shot towards Tigerheart and the three watched as the dark aura around him faded, and a small ball of light rose out from his body and made its way towards ThunderClan.

"Did we…do it?" Kairi asked the other two as they each put their Keyblades away.

"Yeah. His heart's filled with light now, and Dovewing should be waking up soon." Sora assured her. They saw Riku walk up to Tigerheart's body and he gave him a shake. He noticed that the silver tuft of fur on his head was now gone. The other two joined him and saw his amber eyes slowly open.

"R-Riku…is that you?" He nodded his head.

"Welcome back to the light, Tigerheart. You know Sora and Kairi, right?"

"Yeah. He's the one who's like me, right?"

"Is he really?" Sora asked his friend, and he nodded.

"From what his sister's told me."

"Really? Makes me wonder how you fell into the darkness so easily. The light's way cooler." Tigerheart let out a small smile at Sora's response. Riku helped him get up and once he was on his paws, he let out a small gasp.

"Dovewing! She's okay, right? Please tell me she is!"

"She's fine. We saved you both at the same time." Kairi assured him, causing him to let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank StarClan…" Sora, Riku, and Kairi watched as he began to cry. "I'm sorry…about everything…I let my jealously take over…and I…I don't even know how many cats I've hurt because of it! Dovewing probably won't even look at me anymore…"

"That's not true. She headed out to find you and try to save you, remember?" Sora stated. "If anything, she'll be relieved that you're back. I know that you both are from different clans so you can't like each other, but that doesn't mean that you can't be friends, right? I've made plenty of friends on my journeys and we're still connected by our hearts."

"The heart holds more than just love, Tigerheart. Remember that." Kairi added. "We should get back to ThunderClan. We'll get sick if we stay out in this weather. Plus, I'm pretty sure we all have some sort of injuries."

"Right. I'm sure they'll let us stay for the night and then we'll get back to the clans we're staying in and say goodbye before we leave."

"Oh…right…" Riku looked over at Sora and Kairi and saw that they now seemed sad. "I know it's going to be hard, but you won't forget the friends you made here you two. C'mon, let's get going." Riku walked close to Tigerheart, while Sora and Kairi trailed behind the two as they made their way to ThunderClan.

Once the four cats reached the thorn tunnel entrance to ThunderClan, they made their way through. Riku looked back and saw that Tigerheart stopped in the middle of it.

"Maybe…I shouldn't enter ThunderClan. I think they all hate me for what I did." He stated, crestfallen.

"They won't hate you, Tigerheart. You weren't in control of yourself. It was the darkness controlling you, and right now, it's gone." Kairi assured him.

"Kairi's right, and if they give you a hard time, we're here to back you up." Sora added with a smile. "And I'm pretty sure Dovewing's going to be happy seeing that you're okay."

"Just like Heathertail will be happy to see you tomorrow, Sora." Kairi teased, causing him to blush. Tigerheart smiled at the playful nature of the two and realized how glad he was now that his jealously over Dovewing was gone.

"C'mon, let's get going." Riku told the tabby tom. He nodded and followed behind the silver cat. The four broke through into the camp and saw that the whole clan was staring, Tigerheart sinking his body and avoiding eye contact. They were then approached by Bramblestar.

"You three did it. I'm glad to see that you're all okay, but you do seem a bit injured." The leader's amber eyes locked onto Tigerheart. "You should go into the medicine cat's den with them. Dovewing's awake now."

"Great! Let's go and see her!" Sora told the others, running towards the medicine cat's den. The three trailed behind and when they walked inside they saw that Sora was now sitting alongside Lelouch and Ivypool next to Dovewing, who was resting in the nest made for her.

"Is that Tigerheart?" Jayfeather asked, letting out a small growl.

"Leave him alone, Jayfeather. He's okay now. We've freed him from the darkness." Kairi retorted. "You can go see her, Tigerheart, it's okay." She gave him a small push with her tail and Lelouch and Ivypool looked back at the tom as he approached. They made room for him, and his eyes connected with Dovewing's.

"You're okay...I'm glad that Sora, Riku, and Kairi were able to save you." She told him. She saw his eyes begin to glisten, tears beginning to fall from them. "Tigerheart…"

"Dovewing…I'm so sorry. I was stupid and I just…I don't know what happened to me. I didn't mean to hurt you…really, I didn't. I don't deserve to even be near you right now. I…easily fell into the darkness…and couldn't control myself."

"Tigerheart, it's not your fault. If anything, this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me. I couldn't keep my paws away from my sister's mate…" She responded, her voice trailing off.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything. I overreacted and jumped to conclusions. I was ignorant and small-minded…" Tigerheart looked over at Lelouch. "I'm sorry that I did all of this…You both just looked…happy together, but now I realize that maybe it just wasn't meant to be at all…"

"I understand, Tigerheart. I don't hold any grudge against you. I know that the darkness took control of you, but I also had a feeling that there was still some light there." Lelouch assured him. "I'm sure Ivypool feels the same way." She nodded.

"Yup. We know the real you Tigerheart, and we know it wasn't that monster that we saw in the forest. I'm happy to see that you're safe." Ivypool told him with a smile.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but do you four need to be checked up? Any injuries?" Jayfeather asked.

"Just us three." Sora told him. The three cats walked over to Jayfeather, and he and Leafpool helped address their wounds. As the three were being healed, Bramblestar walked into the den.

"Is everything okay in here?" He asked.

"Yes, Bramblestar. Jayfeather and I are just helping these three." Leafpool told him.

"Thank you for doing that you two. I think you four should stay in ThunderClan for the night. You shouldn't be walking to the others clans, especially in the dark and while it's raining."

"Thanks, Bramblestar. We all appreciate it." Riku told him as Leafpool addressed the wound below his right eye. "Thank you too, Leafpool."

"It's my pleasure." She let out a small smile. "I think that's all of you now. No coughing or anything, right?" They shook their heads. "Perfect."

"Alright, well I think I'm going to head off to sleep now. It's been a bit of a stressful day to say the least." Ivypool told them.

"I guess I should go too then." Lelouch said, getting up and walking over to the exit where Leafpool was.

"We'll make some room for you all. Dovewing, are you coming?" Her sister asked.

"She's staying here for the night." Jayfeather informed her. "Just for one more night."

"Fine. Well, see you all soon then, I guess." The two left and made their way over to the warriors' den.

"So…do we stay here tonight as well?" Sora asked, and the medicine cat nodded. "Really?"

"Jayfeather, I think it's okay if they sleep in the warriors' den tonight. They don't have any sort of spreadable illnesses, just scratches and injuries." Leafpool told her son. He let out a sigh.

"Fine, you three can go. You too, Tigerheart."

"No, he can stay here." Jayfeather let out a growl. He knew that Leafpool was his mother, but he never liked being told what to do.

"Why can he stay here? He's not injured at all."

"Yes, but he's the most worried about Dovewing. I know that she's fine, but…at least let him spend this time with her."

"It's okay Leafpool, I can go with the…"

"Stop. You can stay. I'm sorry I didn't put your feelings into consideration." Jayfeather apologized. "As for you three, you can stay here or go to the warriors' den."

"We'll give these two some room." Kairi told him. "Come on you two." She urged her two other friends to walk outside of the den with her, and they followed. Sora took the lead and guided them over to the warriors' den. They saw that for the most part, every cat there was awake, especially after the news of Dovewing getting her heart back.

"There's the three heroes." Ivypool greeted them, and the others all turned their attention towards them, letting out small cheers for the three. Sora, Riku, and Kairi saw two cats get up and walk towards them.

"You two, this is Birchfall and Whitewing. They're Dovewing and Ivypool's parents." Sora told his friends.

"We can't thank you three enough for what you've done for us. We're glad to see that Dovewing's safe." Whitewing said.

"It's what we do, after all. We're glad that we were able to help in any way possible." Sora responded with a smile.

"We all appreciate that. I'm sure every clan is in debt to your heroism." Birchfall added.

"Like Sora said, we don't do this for a reward. It's enough to know that the forest is safe from the Heartless, or from any danger for that matter." Riku stated.

"How long are you three going to be here? You should stay in ThunderClan for the rest of the time you're here." Mousewhisker said.

"We would like to, but we're leaving tomorrow. We need to say bye to the other clans as well." Kairi told them, causing most of the cats to lower their ears in sorrow. "Trust me, I feel the same way. It's hard to say goodbye."

"Well, at least you're all staying here for the night." Cinderheart told them. "There's some room over here." The three walked over to the area near her and Lionblaze and got comfortable, talking to the other cats for the rest of the night until they all needed to go to sleep. For the most part, the others were a bit more curious about their Keyblades, as well as magic, so they summoned their Keyblades for the cats to look at, and also performed small magic spells that amazed the others. Once that was all over, Sora, Riku, and Kairi bunched close to each other and fell asleep for the night alongside the other ThunderClan warriors.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _Lelouch opened his eyes and_ saw that he was no longer inside of the warriors' den in ThunderClan. A breeze blew past his fur and he looked up to see the moonlit sky along with countless stars scattered in it. _This is where I spoke to C.C. last time._ He realized, looking around for the green-haired girl.

"Lelouch, over here." He turned around to see that Spottedleaf was standing behind him.

"Spottedleaf, it's nice to see you." He told her with a smile as he walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your Twoleg friend told me to get you." She replied. "I'm glad to see that you and Ivypool are safe, and that Sora, Riku, and Kairi saved Dovewing and Tigerheart."

"Did you doubt that they would?" He asked jokingly, and she let out a small giggle.

"Of course not. Light always finds a way through the darkness after all." She said. "Follow me." She made her way into the tall grass that was behind her, and he followed. When the two broke through, they saw C.C. sitting on a vacant tree stump in the middle of a meadow. They walked over to her, and when C.C. saw the two, she smiled. Lelouch was a bit surprised when he saw Spottedleaf jump onto C.C.'s lap and lie down.

"I'm guessing you both are friends now?"

"It gets lonely here without someone, and what better company than a cat that I can understand?" C.C. told him as she groomed Spottedleaf's coat.

"I can understand your surprise Lelouch. I wouldn't get close to a Twoleg normally, but C.C. and I are almost the same, and like she said, we can actually understand each other." Spottedleaf added.

"Wait, so you both watch over me?"

"Not necessarily. Spottedleaf makes sure to care for you while you're in this world. Unlike her, I can only speak to you in dreams such as this one, so she can help me relay messages to you when needed." C.C. answered.

"I see. I'm guessing that since you need to see me this message is important?" The two both nodded their heads.

"Correct." C.C. gave Spottedleaf a small scratch behind her ears, causing her to let out a purr. "Now Lelouch, this is important, so listen closely."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Sora opened his eyes the next morning and saw that Riku and Kairi were nowhere to be found, as well as any other ThunderClan warrior for that matter. He got up from the moss bed below him and walked outside, his eyes greeted by the brilliant sunshine breaking through the trees in the forest. He saw Kairi, Riku, and Tigerheart near the thorn tunnel and walked over to them.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Kairi greeted him with a smile.

"Morning. So, are we heading out now?" He asked, and Riku nodded.

"Yeah. We're going to come back here after we say our goodbyes to the other clans." The silver cat responded. "We should get going now. Dawnpelt probably couldn't even sleep last night worrying about you, Tigerheart." The dark tabby let out a sigh.

"That's so typical of her! I can be hunting, and she'd still probably be worrying about me. I guess this time it is different, though." Tigerheart told them.

"You know, you really do act like Sora." Riku told him with a small laugh. The two cats looked at each other, and then laughed.

"That means twice the trouble." Kairi added with a giggle. "Okay Riku, do you mind taking the lead?" He nodded, and the four cats left ThunderClan and made their way towards ShadowClan.

"Can we walk a bit faster? I think they're all worrying about me as we speak." Tigerheart said.

"I can't believe how much the darkness changed you, Tigerheart. Are you sure you're alright?" Kairi wondered, and then let out a small gasp. "Oops! I didn't mean it that way! It's just, a big change, is all."

"It's okay Kairi, and yeah, this is how I am at my best." He responded.

"That's good to see. If that's the case, ShadowClan must've really missed you, Tigerheart." She replied. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did things go with Dovewing?"

"Oh…well after we apologized to each other for what felt like forever, we agreed to just be friends, which I'm fine with, especially after what it caused. I still can't believe that seeing her and Lelouch together caused all this anger. It's crazy."

"Well, the heart is pretty powerful, after all."

"When did you become a love expert, Kairi?" Sora wondered.

"Princess of Heart, remember?" She responded. "Just kidding. It's just something that I understand well."

The four made it to ShadowClan's territory in a few minutes and Tigerheart decided to take the lead, the tom excited to be back in his clan, and back to his former self for that matter. They reached the thorn tunnel entrance and Tigerheart was the first one to walk inside, and the other three followed him.

"I really hope they aren't mad at me for what happened." He told them as they inched closer and closer to the ShadowClan camp.

"I'm sure they won't. If they do, I'll try to talk some sense into them. We'll all go through together if it makes you feel safer." Riku told him. Tigerheart nodded and the group all approached the camp together. Once they broke through, they saw the clan cats immediately turn their attention to them. Dawnpelt was eating a piece of fresh-kill and once she heard the pawsteps, she turned her head to see the four and her eyes began to glisten.

"Tigerheart…Tigerheart!" She ran over to them and immediately gave him a hug. "I was so worried about you! It is you, right? Oh StarClan please tell me that it's you."

"It is, Dawnpelt. Sorry that I made you worry. That's the last of depressed Tigerheart." He assured his sister as she pressed her head into his coat. "I didn't want to see you like this…I guess I didn't think about that." She looked up at him and shook her head.

"It's okay. All that matters is that I have my brother back." She looked over at Riku and walked over to him. "Riku, I can't thank you enough for what you and your friends have done. Thanks for helping Tigerheart."

"It's no trou—." Riku was stopped when Dawnpelt moved her face forward and connected their mouths in a kiss. His eyes widened in shock, but he closed his eyes as he slowly eased into it.

"Dawnpelt what happened while I was gone!?" Tigerheart wondered in astonishment. Dawnpelt opened her eyes and when she realized what she did, she quickly moved her head away.

"Oh StarClan! I'm so sorry Riku! I don't know what came over me! I didn't…oh StarClan…" She looked away from the silver cat, her face burning with embarrassment.

"Riku, you never told us!" Sora gave his friend a nudge, and a blush rose on his face.

"It's nothing! There's nothing between us!"

"He's telling the truth! Tigerheart, it's nothing, really!" Dawnpelt added. Both Sora and Tigerheart looked at each other with a grin.

"Sure. Sora and I believe it." Tigerheart said sarcastically.

"Typical boys." Kairi stated with a giggle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The two brown toms looked at her.

"Yup, you both are exactly the same." She let out a smile.

"Anyway, uh Dawnpelt...We just wanted to bring Tigerheart back, and I also wanted to say goodbye before I leave." Riku told her, still flustered by the she-cat's kiss.

"You're leaving? I guess you did fulfill your prophecy after all. Oh this is all strange now. Sorry you had to remember me as the cat who randomly kissed you, Riku." She apologized, the she-cat now trying to avoid eye contact.

"Aw, don't think of it that way, sis. You do like him, right?" Tigerheart asked.

"That's not it! He just worked so hard to help find you and help you and I just…how could I not appreciate that?" She shook her embarrassment away and turned her attention back to Riku. "I guess we should tell the rest of the clan then. Follow me." For the next couple of minutes, Riku followed Tigerheart and Dawnpelt around ShadowClan while Sora and Kairi waited for them at the exit They saw the three cats approaching and smiled when they arrived, Riku joining his two other friends.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thank you three for saving this furball." Dawnpelt brushed her tail on her brother's pelt.

"Yeah, I can't thank you enough for what you three did, especially you, Riku. Thanks for everything." Tigerheart added. "Are you three ever going to come back?"

"Who knows? Whenever there's some darkness around, we'll be there. Hopefully it's soon." Sora replied.

"Awesome. Make it back home safe you three." They nodded and turned around to leave the camp and make their way over to RiverClan.

"Riku, are you sure that there's nothing between you and Dawnpelt?" Sora asked.

"Really, there's nothing between us." He assured his friend.

"Are you sure? I watched you two kiss and you were pretty into it, especially since you didn't back away at all when it happened."

"He does have a point, Riku." Kairi added.

"You too, Kairi?" Riku let out a sigh. "I didn't want to push her away because I thought it would be rude if I did, so I just let her…and I may have gotten into it…" He admitted, a small blush on his face. "Don't worry, Sora. If you're jealous, I'm sure Heathertail will do the same to you."

"Really now? I'll bet you that she won't." Sora responded, and Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Here we go. Just like back on the island." She took the lead and let the two toms argue behind her.

The three cats arrived at one of the streams in RiverClan and saw that there were a few cats fishing. Kairi could see that it was Minnowtail, Grasspelt, and Petalfur. The three RiverClan cats stopped fishing when they picked up ShadowClan scents and turned their heads to see Sora, Riku, and Kairi walking towards them.

"Kairi!" Petalfur jumped across the small streams separating the two groups and the other cats soon joined her. "Thank StarClan you're okay. I'm guessing that you saved Tigerheart?"

"Of course she did, sis. These three are saviors, remember?" Grasspelt said. "So, what brings you here with Sora and Riku?"

"Oh…well I know that you won't like this, but we're leaving this world and going back home. We've done our part here already." She replied, her voice a bit shaky due to not wanting to leave the friends she made at RiverClan. "Where's Pebblefoot? I'm guessing he's out doing something else?"

"Yeah. He was assigned to go out on patrol." Minnowtail answered. "I guess we should've figured that you had to leave back to your world. Like you said, you three saved Tigerheart already. I'm sure that there's other worlds that need to be saved out there."

"I guess Lelouch is a different case then. He's been here after the Dark Forest battle." Petalfur added. "Anyway, you three should follow us to the camp. I'm sure you want to say bye to everyone, right Kairi?" The auburn she-cat nodded. The two groups merged into one and headed over to RiverClan. Once they got there, they were greeted by Reedwhisker.

"Kairi, it's great to see you back safely, and with your friends as well." The deputy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Reedwhisker. I don't want to make this all sad now, but Sora, Riku, and I are leaving back to our world today." She told him.

"I see. You three did save Tigerheart, I assume, so I guess it's okay that this is goodbye, right?" She nodded. "Would you like me to escort you to Mistystar and around the camp to say farewell?"

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Kairi followed the black tom around the camp, while Riku and Sora waited for her with Petalfur, Grasspelt, and Minnowtail. The five cats talked until Kairi returned with Reedwhisker.

"Kairi, RiverClan is glad that it got to be your home. You'll always be welcome here." The deputy told her.

"I'm glad too. I've met so much amazing cats here. Sorry for keeping you away from your deputy duties for a few minutes."

"It's no trouble at all. Good luck on your future adventures, and that goes for you two as well." He told them. "I should get going."

"It's okay, we understand." She gave the deputy one final smile before he walked away. "Well, I guess this is goodbye you three."

"Yeah. We're going to miss you, Kairi." Petalfur told her.

"She's right. Make sure to visit when you have the chance, okay?" Minnowtail added.

"Hopefully that's sometimes soon." Kairi shared a hug with the two she-cats. "Grasspelt, don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"What? You know I don't!" He responded, causing her to giggle. "Actually Kairi, before you go…" Kairi looked over at the light brown tom. "I know it's probably obvious…but I kinda like you. I just wanted to tell you that in case we never see each other again." She could see that the tom was flustered from confessing his feelings towards her.

"So what you sister said the other day was true?" Kairi asked, and he nodded. "Grasspelt, I'm sure we'll see each other again, don't worry." She gave him a hug like the other two she-cats. "Okay…I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yeah. We know you, Sora, and Riku will do great things, Kairi." Petalfur told her.

"Thanks for taking care of her you three." Sora said. "Bye, and again, thanks!" Sora, Riku, and Kairi left RiverClan and now headed to WindClan. "Two more clans to go."

"Yup. Maybe we'll see if what Riku guessed is right." Kairi said.

"He's wrong, I'm telling you! Heathertail's not that type of she-cat."

"Are you sure? You've only been around her for what, two days?" Riku responded.

"Alright you two, stop fighting. We'll see who's right when we get to WindClan."

The three made it to WindClan's territory in a few minutes and Sora took the lead, the other two unsure of where to go now. Sora sniffed the air and when he picked up a WindClan scent, he followed it. They reached the camp in a few minutes and when they stepped in, Heathertail was the first one to run up to the three.

"Sora! You're okay!" The she-cat rubbed her head on his neck, causing him to blush.

"Y-yeah, of course. What'd you expect?" He told her with a smile.

"You're right. I can't wait for you to tell me all about it." Heathertail noticed Sora's gaze turn towards the ground. "Is something wrong?"

"Heathertail…I won't be able to tell you about it."

"What? Why not? Is it some secret?" He shook his head.

"It's because I'm leaving back to my world." She let out a small gasp, but nodded her head.

"Oh, okay, that makes sense…" The three could hear her voice trail off. "I guess that's okay. You can tell me again if you ever come back, right? This isn't the last time I'm going to see you, is it?"

"I can't say anything for sure. It might be, but it also might not." He told her. "Regardless Heathertail, don't worry because I'll always be here." He poked a claw at her chest, and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Right. I loved having you around WindClan, Sora. Hopefully you do come back though."

"I'll see what I can do. Maybe when we stop the current threat we have to deal with I can come back."

"As long as I can see you again, I'll be happy either way." Heathertail moved her head closer to Sora's and connected their mouths in a quick kiss.

"See? Told you." Riku whispered over to Kairi. Heathertail moved her head away and when she saw the other two, a strong blush appeared on her face.

"Oh StarClan, I didn't mean to do that Sora! I just…I haven't felt this way towards a cat in a while and I…I didn't think words were good enough to tell you how I feel."

"Heathertail, it's okay. I've gotten to like you too. I was worried about telling you the truth because I thought it would hurt you. I didn't want to think of how you'd be, but I'm happy that you're taking it well."

"Thanks. At first I was really worried, but after what you told me, I'm not." She responded.

"See Sora, what'd I tell you? Just tell me that I was right." Riku told him, and Kairi gave him a small push.

"Riku! These two really got to know each other. I didn't think Sora had it in him."

"What? You too Kairi?" Sora pouted. "Anyway, Heathertail, I was wondering if you wanted to help me say goodbye to the others here while these two wait for me." The she-cat nodded, and the two were off together.

In a few minutes, Riku and Kairi saw Sora walking towards them with Heathertail at his side.

"Sora, ready to go?" The silver cat asked.

"We don't want to rush you two." Kairi added with a smile.

"Yeah." Sora looked over at Heathertail. "Thanks for making me feel at home here."

"It's no trouble at all." She responded with a small blush on her face. "You should get going. You don't know if you could be saving another world in a few minutes." Sora smiled.

"Right. I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yup." The she-cat brushed her coat against his one last time before she watched the three leave the camp and head over to ThunderClan.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lelouch walked back into ThunderClan alongside Lionblaze, Spiderleg, Icecloud, and Brackenfur. They were out together on a hunting patrol and just got back, dropping their fresh-kill into the pile. Once Lelouch dropped off the mouse he caught, he looked around camp for Ivypool. He saw Dovewing and walked over to her, hoping that she had an idea of where her sister was.

"Hey Dovewing."

"Hi Lelouch. How was hunting?"

"Pretty good. We all managed to catch something." He replied. "Dovewing, do you know where Ivypool is?"

"Ivypool? I think she might be in the warriors' den just lying around."

"Great. Thanks." The she-cat smiled and watched the black cat make his way to the warriors' den. He walked inside and saw that Dovewing was right. He walked over to Ivypool and she looked up at him.

"You're back. I'm guessing hunting went well?"

"Yup. I actually wanted to go out for a walk with you, that is if you're not busy." She shook her head before getting up. "We should probably ask Squirrelflight before we go out." She followed behind and the two approached the ThunderClan deputy.

"Hi you two. What's up?"

"Lelouch is wondering if it's okay if we went out for a small walk." Ivypool told her.

"Of course it's okay. You two need to spend some time together whenever you can, you know." The deputy told them with a smile. Lelouch nodded his head in thanks and the two cats were off into the forest.

"So, where are we heading off to?" Ivypool asked.

"I was thinking we could just walk over to the lakeside and stay there for a bit, if that's okay."

"I'd like that, Lelouch. Hopefully there's no Twolegs around." Lelouch let out a small laugh.

"I'll fight them off if they get near you, or maybe my Geass might work." She pressed her body close to his as they made their way to the lakeside. Once they were there in a few minutes, the two gazed out at the shimmering body of water reflecting the sun's rays on the beautiful Greenleaf day.

"Some cats wouldn't expect the lake to look this pretty. They wouldn't bother just staying here, but maybe it's just because you're with me, Lelouch."

"Right…" His voice trailed off, and Ivypool looked over at him.

"What's wrong?" She noticed that he stared straight at the lake, their eyes not connecting at all. "Lelouch, you can tell me. We're mates after all, right?" He let out a sigh and finally their eyes met.

"Ivypool…I wanted to go out for walk with you because…I'm leaving this world today." Ivypool let out a gasp and Lelouch could see her eyes begin to glisten.

"What? I don't…no! I knew that you had to leave, but not this soon!" Lelouch could tell that sadness was now taking over her, and he placed his tail on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I knew that you'd take it this way…but I didn't want to not tell you. It's not my choice that I have to leave. Ivypool, don't think for a second that I won't miss you. You mean the world to me and we've really been through a lot. I'm…sorry that I'm making you act like this…"

"No, it's…it's okay." She wiped her eyes with a paw. "I'm sorry that I'm acting like this, Lelouch."

"Don't be. I understand completely what you're going through, Ivypool. I haven't told the others yet because you deserved to be the first to know." She smiled and nuzzled her head below his chin.

"I'm going to miss you, Lelouch." Ivypool moved her head away from the black tom and stared into his violet eyes. Unexpectedly, she moved her face forward and connected their mouths in a kiss, catching Lelouch off guard and causing him to fall down on the grass with her on top of him. Once she realized this, she broke the kiss and a strong blush covered her face. "Um…sorry about that…"

"I-it's fine." He replied, his face also burning with embarrassment. He then felt Ivypool press her head against his chest in a snuggle-like fashion. He saw how comfortable she looked and decided not to bother her, wanting the she-cat to spend her last day with him however she pleased.

Lelouch and Ivypool returned to the camp an hour later and saw that Sora, Riku, and Kairi were there. Squirrelflight was the first to walk over to the two.

"There you two are! I almost sent out a patrol looking for you both." She told them.

"Sorry about that, Squirrelflight. We didn't mean to worry you. It was just that Lelouch told me that he was leaving today and…" Ivypool was cut off by the deputy.

"What? Lelouch, is that true?" The tom nodded. "Well if that's the case, I wish you the best of luck on your next journey and hope that you somehow wind up here again." The deputy told him with a smile. "You should probably tell Bramblestar. I think he might be as surprised as Ivypool probably was."

"Is what Ivypool said true? Are you leaving today too?" Sora said as he approached them both alongside Riku and Kairi.

"Yeah. Actually, I was told that I'm leaving the same way you three are." Lelouch responded.

"Really? Well us three have already said our goodbyes to everyone here, except you two." Kairi told them. "Ivypool, it was great meeting you. Make sure to take care of your sister, okay?"

"Kairi, I'm sure Dovewing can take care of herself. They are warriors, after all." Riku added. "Anyway, I think she's trying to tell you to keep your light shining. Who knows? It might bring Lelouch back here somehow." The silver cat let out a small smile.

"Okay, replace that might with a 'will' because I'm sure that you both will see each other again. You share a close bond, right?" Sora asked the two. "I don't need an answer because I'm sure I know what it is. Anyways Lelouch, we're waiting on you, so take as much time as you want to say your goodbyes to everyone." The light brown tom told him with a big smile. Lelouch nodded and decided that he would first go over to see Bramblestar. He was the leader of ThunderClan, after all. He carefully made his way up the Highledge to get to the leader's den. He walked inside and the leader greeted him.

"Lelouch, hello."

"Hi Bramblestar. Listen, there's something that I need to tell you." The leader tilted his head in confusion, wondering what was with the black tom's tone of voice.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that…last night I was told that I would be leaving this world today."

"I see…" Lelouch didn't expect Bramblestar's voice to trail off. "Well, I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, right?"

"Yeah, I just didn't expect it to happen now." Bramblestar got up from his bedding and walked over to Lelouch. Their eyes connected and the leader placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Lelouch, ThunderClan honors everything that you've done. I'm sure Firestar would've told you the same thing. We're going to miss having a cat around that's as selfless as you." He told him before retracting his paw. "Do you ever think that you'll come back to ThunderClan?"

"I'm not sure. I guess maybe if another prophecy comes around."

"Let's hope that's soon for the better." The leader let out a small laugh. "Anyway, I'm sure you need to say bye to the other cats, so you just go on." Lelouch bowed his head.

"Thank you for everything, Bramblestar. I know that you'll follow in Firestar's pawsteps." With that, Lelouch made his way down the Highledge and walked over to the medicine cat's den. When he entered, he saw that Briarlight was the first one to notice him.

"Hi, Lelouch. Are you here to help me with my exercises?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm afraid not."

"Then why are you here exactly?" Jayfeather wondered as he sorted herbs with Leafpool.

"To tell you three that I'm leaving this world today." He responded.

"What?" Leafpool walked over to him. "Is that true?"

"It is. Last night I was told that I have to. I'm sorry that I'm just leaving like this with no explanation because I don't even know why." He told the she-cat.

"Well I'm sure I speak for all of ThunderClan when I say that we'll miss you, Lelouch. I know I told you this the other day, but it really is a blessing to have you here." Leafpool told him, giving the cat a small nuzzle on his cheek, causing him to blush.

"Thanks, Leafpool. I really will miss the clan. Here's hoping that I can come back." He replied. Lelouch looked over at Briarlight and saw that she was shifting a ball of moss between her paws. He walked over to the injured she-cat, who avoided his gaze.

"Briarlight…"He let out a sigh. "I enjoyed taking care of you whenever I had the chance. In a way, you reminded me of my younger sister. Thank you for filling in that spot that was missing in my life." Lelouch gave the dark brown she-cat a comforting lick on the ear and he suddenly felt her head press up and cuddle under his chin, a comforting purr resonating from her.

"Lelouch, I didn't know I meant that much to you." She moved her head away and looked up at the tom, a smile on his face. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. I promise that I'll help with your exercises if I come back." Lelouch looked over at Jayfeather and walked over, the medicine cat's ears twitching as he approached. He turned around and his blind gaze connected to his violet eyes.

"Well…I guess this is goodbye, Lelouch. Sorry if I was a bit too moody at times." He told him.

"Hey, I can't change who you are, Jayfeather. Just keep doing your job as medicine cat. Oh, and make sure to take extra care of Briarlight, okay?"

"She's in good paws, don't worry." Jayfeather cracked a small smile. "I guess we'll see you next time."

"Yeah. Thanks for everything, you three." Lelouch gave the three cats one final gaze before he made his way over to the nursery. When he walked inside he saw Daisy, and Brightheart. Brightheart was grooming Amberkit, Dewkit, and Snowkit, while Daisy took care of Lilykit and Seedkit, who belonged to Sorreltail, one of the ThunderClan cats who died after the Dark Forest battle. Once Lelouch's presence was known, the five kits escaped from the queens and ran over to him.

"Hi Lelouch! Are you able to play with us today?" Dewkit asked ecstatically.

"Yeah, are you?" Snowkit added.

"He's probably just here to visit. He's a warrior, after all!" Lilykit told the two.

"Lilykit's right you two." Lelouch told them with a small laugh.

So…are you ever going to play with us again soon?" Amberkit asked, her amber eyes staring up at him. Lelouch looked over at the kits and then at the queens, who found it odd that he didn't immediately answer the question. He lied down on the nursery floor so that he was eye level with the kits.

"I need you five to listen carefully, okay?" They nodded, the kits' attention all focused on the black cat in front of them. "You all know that I'm not from this world, right?"

"Yup! That's why you're one of the coolest cats in ThunderClan." Seedkit said.

"Yeah, and you play with us all the time!" Amberkit added.

"Okay, well…I don't want to have to tell you this, but…I have to leave ThunderClan today." Each of the kits went wide-eyed at his news and ran over to the queens.

"Mom, how can we stop Lelouch from leaving?" Dewkit asked Brightheart.

"There has to be a way, right?" Snowkit poked at his mother's fur, hoping that she had an answer.

"I wish there was, but we can't. He has to go on another journey now, just like Sora, Riku, and Kairi." Brightheart told her kits.

"That's right. Think of it as a prophecy. We can't stop it from happening, can we?" Daisy asked the kits.

"But what if it's a bad one, like this one?" Lilykit stated.

"Lilykit, this isn't a bad thing at all. Lelouch is going to help others wherever he goes." Brightheart told her. Lelouch walked over to join her. "Wherever you go Lelouch, I know you'll do great things." She gave him a small nuzzle on his shoulder. He then walked over to Daisy.

"Thanks for being here to take care of the kits, Daisy. I'm sure they all enjoy your hospitality."

"That's nice of you to say, Lelouch, but I'm pretty sure I can tell you the same thing." The she-cat let out a small giggle. "Make sure to visit if the chance ever rises. Be safe, okay?" Lelouch nodded, and the queen gave him a lick on the shoulder.

"Okay you five, do you have anything to say to Lelouch before he leaves?" Brightheart asked. Her question was answered when the five kits all jumped towards Lelouch and pushed him to the ground.

"Okay, okay, I'll miss you five too!" He told them with a laugh. "Is this your attempt at trying to get me to stay?"

"Yup!" Amberkit told him with a smile.

"Okay you five, that's enough." Daisy told them, and they moved off of Lelouch, allowing him to get up. He licked his fur that was sticking out and looked at the five kits.

"You five will be great warriors, I just know it. Hopefully I get to see you when that happens."

"We'll train our best just for you!" Dewkit told him.

"That's what I like to hear." He replied with a smile. "Well, I should get going now. I don't want to leave Sora, Riku, and Kairi waiting."

"That's okay. Say goodbye to Lelouch everyone." Brightheart told the kits.

"Bye Lelouch!" Lelouch walked over to each of the kits and gave each of them their own personal nuzzle before he left the nursery. He walked over to the Elder's den to say bye to Purdy, but saw that he was asleep. _Why am I not surprised. He is an elder, after all._ Lelouch decided to try his luck with the apprentice's den and he saw that Cherrypaw and Molepaw were both in there.

"Lelouch, there you are! We were waiting for you to say bye to us!" Cherrypaw greeted him. "Molepaw thought you wouldn't."

"What? No, that's not it at all!" Her brother retorted. "Anyway, so is what we're hearing true?"

"Yeah. Who told you?"

"Cherrypaw dared me to go ask Sora, Riku, and Kairi, so I did." He replied.

"Lelouch, is it true that this is the last time we'll see you?" The she-cat asked.

"It could be, I'm not sure. I really hope it isn't because I've found a home here in ThunderClan." He replied.

"Well if it is, I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed going hunting with you." Molepaw told him.

"I loved it." Cherrypaw added, and his brother scoffed. "What?"

"You better just tell him before he leaves, Cherrypaw." Molepaw said. "It's not unnatural for an apprentice to have a crush on a warrior." Lelouch looked over at Cherrypaw, a strong blush on her face.

"Molepaw! Why would you tell him?" She looked over at Lelouch, but then turned her gaze away. "Lelouch, I…"

"You don't have to say it, Cherrypaw." He leaned closer, and the she-cat began to shake. "Make sure Ivypool doesn't know that, okay?" She nodded, and Lelouch gave her a small lick on the ear, causing her to let out a small gasp. He then looked over at Molepaw. "Make sure you're a good warrior, Molepaw. Protect the clan, and try not to create trouble for your sister for a while. Making her admit she liked me was a bit too much."

"Will do." Molepaw let out a big smile as he pressed closer to his sister. "Bye Lelouch! Hope that we see each other again."

"R-right!" Cherrypaw timidly added.

"Alright you two. Stay safe, okay?" The two nodded, and Lelouch now left to go to the warriors' den, which he saved for last because he knew he'd be there the longest. He walked inside and saw that every warrior was inside, which surprised him because he assumed that some of them would out training or on border patrol.

"I'm guessing you all know?" Lelouch stated, and for the most part, he saw every cat nod their head. "Ivypool, did you tell them?" The she-cat nodded her head. "I guess I should've seen that coming."

"Lelouch, we're all going to miss you." Dovewing told him. "I…didn't tell you sorry for how I acted the night I went to find Tigerheart. I'm…really sorry I was so mean to you and made you worry."

"It's okay, Dovewing, really, you don't need to apologize. We're friends, right?" Lelouch could see her eyes glisten, and the she-cat walked over to him and rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a friendly purr.

"Dovewing, I'll let it go because he's leaving." Ivypool told her jokingly, causing her sister to quickly move away from the violet-eyed tom.

"Right, right, sorry!"

"Geez, it feels like we've known Lelouch for longer than he's been here." Graystripe stated. "I remember the day I found him with Lionblaze and Dovewing."

"Luckily you two persuaded Lionblaze because I probably wouldn't be here if you didn't." Lelouch said with a laugh, causing the golden furred tom to blush in embarrassment.

"Hey, I was just doing my duty as a warrior!" He stated. "Thank StarClan those two agreed with each other though because you're actually one of my closest friends in ThunderClan, Lelouch."

"I think he's all one of our closest friends. I'm glad Firestar let you stay with us, Lelouch." Sandstorm told him. "It was one of his greatest decisions ever made."

"I agree. We all wish you could stay Lelouch. You're a part of ThunderClan now." Cinderheart told him with a smile.

"She's right. We're going to miss going out on hunting patrols with you." Blossomfall said.

"Don't forget about border patrols." Cloudtail added.

"Oh, and watching you play and take care of the kits too." Rosepetal added. Lelouch blushed at all the appreciation that each warrior had for him.

"There's a lot of stuff that you've done that we appreciate, Lelouch. The list goes on and on." Ivypool told him. "We're losing a very important part of ThunderClan. It's not going to be the same here without you." Lelouch looked at the others and could see that they all seemed sad realizing that they wouldn't see Lelouch every time they woke up the next day.

"I know, and my life won't be the same either. Like Graystripe said, it feels like I've been here forever. I wish I didn't have to go, but…I have to." Lelouch was at a loss for words. Just like the memories they had of him, he couldn't bear to only have them as memories. "I'm going to miss all of you, I hope you know that. You've all made me a part of the clan with no trouble at all. None of you were afraid of me, and accepted me without question. I can't repay any of you for that." He looked over at Ivypool. "Ivypool, I know we talked already and all, but…just continue being yourself."

"I will, and you do the same, Lelouch." Ivypool nuzzled him under his neck, and Lelouch rested his head on top of hers, sharing his final moment with his mate. Once she broke away, she hit him with a paw. "Come back when you have the chance, promise?"

"Of course. Hopefully everything's still the same when I see you all again." Lelouch told them. "I guess this is goodbye everyone. Please, don't pile on me like the kits did. I don't think I could take that." The warriors laughed.

"Be safe, Lelouch." Lionblaze told him. The black tom gave him a nod before taking one look back at the other warriors and leaving the den. He saw the three cats waiting for him and they greeted him with smiles.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. You would think being here for around a week wouldn't have made it this difficult, but it really is." Lelouch responded.

"Yup, but just remember that they'll all be in your heart. You'll never forget them, there's no way." Sora added.

"He's right. They may seem far away, but you've made a special unbreakable connection with them, and us three as well." Riku told him. "Sora, Kairi, you ready?" The two cats nodded and summoned their Keyblades. They each shot a bright beam from the tip and when they all converged, a sky blue portal appeared in front of them.

"This should get us back to the island, and should get you wherever you need to go, Lelouch." Sora told him.

"Right. Why don't you three go first?"

"Wait! You just want us to leave without saying bye to you too? C'mon, we're all friends here!" Sora wrapped a paw around him. "Hopefully we meet each other again, Lelouch. Maybe it'll be for longer next time."

"He's right. Stay safe, especially for Ivypool." Kairi added with a smile. "You three ready?" The other two toms nodded, and they walked into the portal together. Lelouch looked around ThunderClan one last time and let out a breath. _Well, I guess this is goodbye. Hopefully I'll come back here._ With that final thought, Lelouch walked through and the portal closed.

"He's gone…"Ivypool softly spoke once she watched her mate leave.

"It's okay, sis. I really do have a feeling he'll be back here one day, don't worry." Dovewing assured her.

"You're right. I'll make sure that I'll never forget him." _Lelouch, I'm not sure where you're off to now, but I know that you'll be helping others. Hopefully you come back. There will always be a place for you in ThunderClan._


End file.
